February 3, 2014

If there's a mistake in your HealthCare.gov account, there's no way to fix it.

WaPo reports on the 22,000 "appeals" filed to get mistake fixed that "are sitting, untouched, inside a government computer and the "unknown number" of less formal efforts by consumers who call for help and are told there is nothing that can be done yet.
“It is definitely frustrating and not fair,” said Addie Wilson, 27, who lives in Fairmont, W.Va., and earns $22,000 a year working with at-risk families. She said that she is paying $100 a month more than she should for her insurance and that her deductible is $4,000 too high.

When Wilson logged on to HealthCare.gov in late December, she needed coverage right away. Her old insurance was ending, and she was to have gallbladder surgery in January. But the Web site would not calculate the federal subsidy to which she knew she was entitled. Terrified to go without coverage, Wilson phoned a federal call center and took the advice she was given: Pay the full price now and appeal later.
Not only is there no solution now, it's not even a priority. (Here are some things that are top priorities: "an electronic payment system for insurers, the computerized exchange of enrollment information with state Medicaid programs, and the ability to adjust people’s coverage to accommodate new babies and other major changes in life circumstance.")

34 comments:

CWJ said...

At this point, it's almost a cliche. But if anyone other than government was running this program and its website/databases, they'd be charged with any number of crimes if not already behind bars awaiting trial.

Sorun said...

Don't forget that the A-team coder rats have already abandoned the ship.

Seeing Red said...

I was in for a doctors appt right after the launch, making the snarky comment when asked if my insurance had changed, yes I still have my substandard insurance. One of the hospital workers signed up and got hacked. She was pissed. But since she probably voted for it.... No sympathy.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I think President Obama should issue an executive order requiring all workers in the call center to answer the phone with Hi, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.

That should reassure the callers.

hawkeyedjb said...

President Obama should issue an executive order requiring the system to work. That should take care of it.

As an alternative, he could issue an executive order to shut up and quit complaining.

hawkeyedjb said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jacksonjay said...


Maybe Wunderkind Ezra can put this in context for all of the rest of us.

Fen said...

We get the government we deserve. And we've been naughty.

CWJ said...

hawkeyedjb,

Sadly, that's what passes for management and implementation when the feds set out to "solve" an alleged problem.

Fen said...

ie. too many Americans dumb enough to swallow the racial and gender politics from the snake oil salesmen of Left.

"Free tonic! All you must do is surrender your Liberty to the State!"

Brennan said...

Couldn't the attorney generals in states that did not create an exchange investigate the federal government for fraud?

Senator Blumenthal as the CT AG was more than willing to investigate anyone that had a heart beat.

KCFleming said...

So this is what happens when fish find a certain bicycle 'dreamy'.

Original Mike said...

Who would have known that Obama would be such a bad manager? After all, he so successfully ran his election campaign.

America, you're getting what you deserve.

jacksonjay said...


"Turns out buying insurance is complicated."

Anonymous said...

Looking at the way this legislation was written, passed, and implemented, I'm having a hard time believing people are surprised.

Looking at the Democrats, and then on the other side of the aisle, the split within the Republican Party, I'm having a hard time imagining the American people are going to be even mildly contented with their politics for awhile.

Desperate people, the sick, poor and already dependent, along with the true-believers, and a few other monied and political interests are neck deep into this thing.

The ret of us only thigh or hip-deep perhaps...

KCFleming said...

Is this the moment when the rise of medical costs began to slow and our health system began to heal?

Naaaaah.
Pwnd!!

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Ignore what you read here. I have it on good authority (both Garage and Paul Krugman from the NYT) that everything is fine with the ACA Web site and there is no need to say bad thi8ngs about it. The site is FIXED!

CWJ said...

It's not all griping and bellyaching on my part. I really do feel bad for those who have already been fed into this meatgrinder to be sacrificed on the altar of the "uninsured problem."

My wife and I escaped this by the skin of our teeth at least for this year. But I did go into the website far enough to do some what ifs on the plans being offered in Kansas City. It wasn't pretty, and looked like nearly a doubling of our 2014 premium to get coverage comparable to what we have now. That would be on top of all the other risks revealed by working through healthcare.gov.

John Cunningham said...

as my bumper sticker in 2010 said, If you think health insurance is expensive now, just wait til it's free.

Unknown said...

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,"
I'll give them:
Child Care/​Child Support 75 programs
Counsel/​Counseling 27 programs
Disability Assistance 50 programs
Disaster Relief 23 programs
Education/​Training 76 programs
Employment/​Career Development Assistance 119 programs
Energy Assistance 105 programs
Environmental Sustainability/​Conservation 8 programs
Food/​Nutrition 271 programs
Grants/​Scholarships/​Fellowships 68 programs
HIV/AIDS 34 programs
Healthcare 97 programs
Housing 53 programs
Insurance 87 programs
Living Assistance 67 programs
Loan/​Loan Repayment 52 programs
Medicaid/​Medicare 53 programs
Military: Active Duty and Veterans 76 programs
Social Security/​Retirement 19 programs
Tax Assistance 18 programs
and
3 Opportunites for Volunteer service

And no opportunities for driven, independent, and ambitious people

tim maguire said...

Woe unto those who got sick in January. My brother-in-law was self-insured in December. As of January 1, he had no insurance despite trying hard to navigate the system. A week later he collapsed with what we thought might be a stroke. Fortunately it was stress related and he's ok, but thanks to Obamacare, he had no insurance.

Thanks to Obamacare, this momentary scare is going to be a significant financial hardship on his family.

n.n said...

People like the perception that follows from a promise for a quick fix. Let us pray that the mortal gods will deliver onto us money, sex, and ego gratification. Let us sacrifice to appease their lust for capital and control, and a manageable problem set. Let us ignore the progressive cost paid to enjoy their favor.

PackerBronco said...

Blogger tim maguire said...

2/3/14, 11:04 AM


Don't worry tm, some liberal hack will be along pretty soon in this thread to: a) call you a liar, b) call your brother-in-law a liar, c) call your brother-in-law stupid not figuring out the exchanges, or d) some combination of the above.

bbkingfish said...

A 25-paragraph article that examines exactly one (1) specific case of 22,000 out of the more than 3 million who had applied as of December 31. But go ahead. Be outraged. It's Monday.

Fen said...

A 25-paragraph article that examines exactly one (1) specific case of 22,000

The 1 is indicative of the 22,000

"nothingtoseehere movealong"

CWJ said...

bbkingfish,

Are you saying the article is incorrect?

Fen said...

Thats a word we haven't seen in awhile:

in·dic·a·tive
/inˈdikətiv/
adjective: indicative
1. serving as a sign or indication of something.


Maybe the LIVs can't understand the issues because they don't know the big words needed to comprehend concepts like "this is an example of what the other 22,000 are going through"

"“Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by eactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten." - Orwell

Fen said...

bbkingfish: doubleplus ungood!

chuckR said...

The American public has spoken, twice. And now they must be punished.

Just like Catholic school, the innocent get punished along with the guilty. We are all sinners, after all. Or at the least, probable felons, if someone cared to look at the US Code long enough.

khesanh0802 said...

I see three things here:

1. The woman was insured last year. This is not about signing up the uninsured.

2. The woman's company DROPPED their previous coverage because of Obamacare.

3. This woman, who has been taking care of herself, is now on the public teat.

Terrific!

Known Unknown said...

If you like your mistake, you can keep your mistake.

Paul said...

So another car on the track as wrecked.

But folks, this train wreck has thousands of cars and you will hear them crash day after day, even past election time in November.

And Obama's 'executive orders' are a paper tiger. He is lame duck.. and all of Washington knows it.

furious_a said...

WAZZUP, GLITCHES!?!

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of incompetent buffoons. I can't argue with their priority order, but I can say that with that much undone, it was criminal to open up the Federal "Exchanges" for business.