State health officials in Indiana have apologized to a Noblesville family swamped by callers seeking insurance help.

ADVERTISEMENT

A television commercial for the state's new Healthy Indiana Plan promotes a hotline -- 877-GET-HIP9 -- but does not include the "1" before the toll-free number, The Indianapolis Star reported Sunday.

Without that first digit, the number reads as a local exchange and has routed hundreds of calls to the family in Noblesville since early December, often during their dinner hour, the Star reported.

The state Family and Social Services Administration, which administers the plan, says it has updated the number of its Web site and marketing materials but can do little about the already filmed commercial except apologize, said Lauren Auld, a spokeswoman for the agency.

The offending ads are on hiatus but are due to return Jan. 7 and run until February, Auld said.