healthcare.gov woes

[kittygilchrist]

No luck with the website. Called and got a representative, was disconnected. Called back. Basically left a name and address, got put on hold. 10 minutes later, I was told that I should receive an application by December 5.

That is 3 weeks and 2 days for the US government to mail a document.
By comparison it took 10 weeks for The Villages to build my designer home, pool and all.

Oh my, we are in sad shape.

[SoccerCoach]

Kitty, you have a fantastic way with words.

[Microcodeboy]

The sad thing is, most of us in the industry predicted this outcome. This project (website, databases, interfaces) will be the best teaching example of what not to do when managing a big project. It is really sad when one realizes the industry learned these lessons decades ago. Where were "best practices", well understood to so many others?

and yet they spent over 600 million dollars to develop it. There is no quick fix, either. Never is...

[Bay Kid]

The government in charge of our healthcare. The government in charge of anything. Stay healthy!!!

[l2ridehd]

We the people get what the majority vote for. Live with it or vote to change it. Those are the only options.

[eremite06]

Now they say the site can be hacked to steal identities.

[janmcn]

The government in charge of our healthcare. The government in charge of anything. Stay healthy!!!


All the millions of people on Medicare might disagree with you.

[2BNTV]

Having been a techie for a long time, I think this website should have had, a trial run. There is something to be said for being cautious when trying to change something of this magnitude.

I've seen some disasters when trying to implement a full blown change of a sytem. Hopefully, they will get it straighened out as December 7th is not far away. It does say something else about doing the old fashion way of getting the literature, and deciding for oneself.

These insurance plans require an exhaustive research of homework and it's not easy for some people. Relying on this website has been a disaster. IMHO

[gomoho]

All the millions of people on Medicare might disagree with you.
You are aware medicare is fraught with fi ancial woes and fraud. Just because it is up and running doesn't .mean it's successful

[gomoho]

We the people get what the majority vote for. Live with it or vote to change it. Those are the only options.

And too bad those that didn't vote that way have to suffer the consequences

[perrjojo]

And too bad those that didn't vote that way have to suffer the consequences


But if you have a health care plan you like...blah..blah..blah! :crap2:

[janmcn]

You are aware medicare is fraught with fi ancial woes and fraud. Just because it is up and running doesn't .mean it's successful



Who can forget Gov Scott's HCA Hospitals commiting the largest fraud in the history of Medicare?

[Indydealmaker]

And too bad those that didn't vote that way have to suffer the consequences

The result of a national epidemic of "Low Knowledge".

[billethkid]

Who can forget Gov Scott's HCA Hospitals commiting the largest fraud in the history of Medicare?

correct....maybe.

It did take over 10 years for SS and Medicare systems to evolve....unlike the current fiasco that was NEVER understood by ANYBODY....remember the comment "...let's pass the bill so we can see what is in it..."

When Apple launched the iPad it spent $150,000,000 and it was tested and ready to go on day one.

The current fiasco, understood and managed by no one, has thus far cost over $600,000,000 and there is no indication of when it will be ready or even capable of being tested.

I don't care what one's politics or beliefs are....just a very simple, factual observation.....this is what happens when the priority is to make a date ready or not and then make excuses all over the place why it is not working.
Nothing but an amateurish implementation, date driven.....FAILURE.

Not to worry though when money is no object and the rank and file are comfortable with the tune coming from the podium....what's the problem....it's only money....yours and mine.

The health insurance any one of us has today is the very best at the least cost we will ever have again from now on. Yes even those of us (I should say some of us) on Medicare who want to keep the coverage we have will be paying more just to maintain parity with today's coverage.

The Titantic has hit the ice berg and the captain is asking for the deck chairs to be rearranged and telling the passengers we have a glitch but the team has it under control.......the Titantic in this anecdote being the new health care law.

btk

[ilovetv]

Tackling and overhauling the whole healthcare financing system is just plain too big to do by way of one 2000-page bill/law for which politicians and their unelected appointees write the regulations and policies/procedures for carrying out such a monumental task.

Consider:

The USA's population is: 315 million

Canada's population is: 35 million

We should have been addressing the goal of getting the uninsured and pre-existing conditions people insured, and that is why 38 states already HAD high-risk health insurance risk pools before this legislation began: States That Have Risk Pools (http://www.naschip.org/states_pools.htm) But politicians never talked about that.

Also, efforts should have been keenly focused on getting the people enrolled in Medicaid who were qualified for it before this attempt at whole-system demolition, but simply did not do it out of ignorance, apathy, whatever.

Burning down the house to remodel the living room is the best description of what is happening via the massive legislation.

[graciegirl]

And too bad those that didn't vote that way have to suffer the consequences

I don't remember voting for it. Someone else did this TO me.

[Bogie Shooter]

Now they say the site can be hacked to steal identities.

"They" being Fox News.

[kittygilchrist]

Security hole found in Obamacare website - Oct. 29, 2013 (http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/29/technology/obamacare-security/)
Fox reported a "security hole" problem early Oct. CNN reported it was fixed Oct 29.

[ilovetv]

"They" being Fox News.

Try the Chicago Tribune, NBC News, Huffington Post, USA Today and many others on this topic:

Washington Post --

Last week, we wrote about an inspector general’s report that said the Internal Revenue Service gave away nearly $4 billion in fraudulent tax refunds to identity thieves, with hundreds of payouts apiece going to single addresses in countries such as Lithuania, Bulgaria and China.

A separate IG analysis released in September cited long delays in closing identity-theft cases, saying the IRS spent an average of 312 days in resolving such matters.


What is the IRS doing about fraudulent tax refunds? (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/11/11/what-is-the-irs-doing-about-fraudulent-tax-refunds/)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/sns-rt-us-usa-tax-refund-20131107,0,5893744.story

[shcisamax]

That is 3 weeks and 2 days for the US government to mail a document.
By comparison it took 10 weeks for The Villages to build my designer home, pool and all.

Oh my, we are in sad shape.

Guess that puts in perspective Kitty :)

[eremite06]

"They" being Fox News.

Wasn't FOX but CBS.

[kansasr]

Sounds like the typical "I have government", except when I want something from government. What a hypocrite!

[Indydealmaker]

Sounds like the typical "I have government", except when I want something from government. What a hypocrite!

To whom are you addressing your comment?

If you are directing your post to a particular person, you should use the "quote post" button at the bottom right of that person's post.

[graciegirl]

Sounds like the typical "I have government", except when I want something from government. What a hypocrite!


Here in The Villages we have people who have lived for quite some time and have carefully thought this all out. Many would say that is inflammatory.

[rubicon]

Who can forget Gov Scott's HCA Hospitals commiting the largest fraud in the history of Medicare?

janmcn: While I am no fan of Scott the truth of the matter is the fraud was a result of a company that merged with Scott's and it was shortly after that merger that the company's fraud was discovered.

As to Obamacare. I agree with many the real problems will occur after the exchanges are well underway. there have been no control built in to investigate and prevent fraud. In addition they have already caught so called navigators encouraging and covering up fraud. further the navigators have not been properly vetted or trained which means they can steal your identity and or answer important questions incorrectly.

Once a person has selected a policy again fraud kicks in as to the amount of subsidy they can receive.

Individuals are losing quality policies that it their needs and pocket books for policies that will be cost more and offer less quality in the long run.

But it is not over yet because those people who do have employer sponsored policies will end up either losing their coverage or having it greatly compromised and their premiums will also go up.

Retirees will also suffer under Obamacare.

This was all intended by the Obama Team

If some of you are still displaying Obama/Biden stickers on your cars you may want to remove them

[Indydealmaker]

Here in The Villages we have people who have lived for quite some time and have carefully thought this all out. Many would say that is inflammatory.

Gracie, The post to which you are responding is a perfect example of why this forum has banished political posts. When one side does not have facts, they resort to rudity. Hence civil discourse is abandoned, if not impossible.

[swimdawg]

I tried going thru the website several times to no avail. Then I called the 800 number and was repeatedly put on hold....after getting automated "press 1 for English" etc. Finally I got to talk to a human being. She kept on telling me to "hold on a sec" and she'd be right back. Five minutes later, she would come back and forget the question I had asked her. I got another "hold on a sec" and then a wait for 5 minutes on hold. Unreal! I asked for information to be mailed to me since I told her I didn't have a computer. Another "hold on a couple secs". I told her that her seconds are equal to five minutes. She put me on hold again for longer than 5 minutes. She finally returned and said that I should go to a library and get info on their computer. I told her I really wanted info mailed to me and she asked for my address. I gave her a misspelled last name and my address in The Villages. She wanted to know how to spell "The". I spelled "The" and she asked me again how to spell "The"!!!! Finally, she ended up telling me that Karen FakeName at my address in The Villages, FL was already enrolled in The Affordable Care Act. I told her that was impossible and asked her to please send the info. That was several weeks ago and I'm not holding my breath.

Not good.

[NotGolfer]

Did you all see the 20-somethings on the news who (in a weekend) found a way to circumvent this system to help individuals. They said it wasn't "rocket science" to build a system so it "does" make one wonder why this behemoth of a site is cumbersome, non-user friendly and more. I'm always open to "conspiracy theories". :jester:

[telder]

Obamacare’s “navigators,” the nearly 50,000 people who, in the words of the Department of Health and Human Services, “will serve as an in-person resource for Americans who want additional assistance in shopping for and enrolling in plans” on the Obamacare exchanges (at least when they’re finally working). The total value of grants doled out for nonprofits and community organizations to hire navigators has topped $67 million nationwide, and some of the money is going to a group run by ACORN’s highly controversial founder.

[gomoho]

I understand "the navigators" are making around $40k - and they can't spell THE???? Typical government screw up.

[logdog]

A couple of days ago, Fox News’ Bret Baier read this letter on the air:

“Putting things in perspective: March 21st 2010 to October 1 2013 is 3 years, 6 months, 10 days. December 7, 1941 to May 8, 1945 is 3 years, 5 months, 1 day. What this means is that in the time we were attacked at Pearl Harbor to the day Germany surrendered is not enough time for this progressive federal government to build a working webpage. Mobilization of millions, building tens of thousands of tanks, planes, jeeps, subs, cruisers, destroyers, torpedoes, millions upon millions of guns, bombs, ammo, etc. Turning the tide in North Africa, Invading Italy, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, Race to Berlin – all while we were also fighting the Japanese in the Pacific!! And in that amount of time – this administration can’t build a working webpage.”

Amazing, isn’t it?

[billethkid]

when there is an open checkbook to the many, many who are supposed to make this work....and the longer it doesn't work the more money they collect from the government, why would they hurry to make it work?

And like all other government projects who is the boss? The leader? The person who was charged with making it work? No accountability....no responsibility plus a basket full of excuses make it OK for the current administration.

There was no understanding in the beginning...let's pass the bill to see what is in it.
There was no cost analysis after it was passed.
There was no plan to make certain things happen before the implementation.
There was/is no leadership!
Why is anybody surprised? ANYBODY?

I can't wait till a couple of more shoes drop. How about the new health care plan reducing Medicare costs by half a billion $$$?

Unlike the other disastors of recent reporting this one will affect too many of we the people for it to go the normal route of...ignore....start a fire some where else you know the old red herring game.....
but this one is not going to get better....it can't....no more than building the house without a foundation and then trying to go back and make it work before it falls in.

No plan....no leadership....no results....no surprise.....
And how many millions will be hurt in the process....it is a :swear:shame!

btk

[CFrance]

You are aware medicare is fraught with fi ancial woes and fraud. Just because it is up and running doesn't .mean it's successful

So is the private insurance industry fraught with financial woes and fraud. Except they pass their financial woes on to their customers, whom they've got backed into a corner. I have never been so stress-free over my medical care since qualifying for Medicare. Just think... a government healthcare plan that is WORKING. I pay a couple hundred dollars a month for Medicare and a supplemental plan that covers me anywhere and allows me to choose any doctor I want, and I have no copays on anything.

As opposed to paying $450/month for a miserly plan with a 7K deductible because I have a pre-existing condition.

It's government healthcare, and I LOVE Medicare.

[janmcn]

So is the private insurance industry fraught with financial woes and fraud. Except they pass their financial woes on to their customers, whom they've got backed into a corner. I have never been so stress-free over my medical care since qualifying for Medicare. Just think... a government healthcare plan that is WORKING. I pay a couple hundred dollars a month for Medicare and a supplemental plan that covers me anywhere and allows me to choose any doctor I want, and I have no copays on anything.

As opposed to paying $450/month for a miserly plan with a 7K deductible because I have a pre-existing condition.

It's government healthcare, and I LOVE Medicare.



And were there problems with Medicare when it started? You bet there were. Half of the states refused to participate. Ronald Reagan said in 1981, paraphrasing here "Medicare will be the end of freedom for our children and grandchildren".

Medicare has had almost 50 years to work out the bugs. The Affordable Care Act sign-up period is six weeks old and doesn't even go into effect for another six weeks.

Every tactic to repeal this law has been tried and failed. The one big chance was a year ago, and we all know how that turned out.