Maryland Obamacare Exchange: 'No Doctors Are Found'

The Weekly Standard ^ | October 8, 2013 | Jeryl Bier

[2ndDivisionVet]

"If you've got a doctor that you like, you will be able to keep your doctor," President Obama assured the public as he worked to sell Obamacare in 2010. However, in July 2013, visitors to Healthcare.gov received a less confident "you may be able to" in answer to the question, "Can I keep my own doctor?" Beginning October 1, users of the Maryland Health Connection, that state's Obamacare insurance exchange, might have an even more basic question: Are there any doctors?

A consumer information update dated the day the exchange opened informed users (at least those who took the time to read the updates) that the doctor search function was not yet operational and they would need to visit an external website to find out which doctors accept which plans. The full update reads as follows [emphasis added]:

Search for your physician. If you are interested in understanding which health plans a particular doctor participates in, please visit https://providersearch.crisphealth.org – a new service sponsored by Maryland Health Connection. For the time being, doctors and other providers are not yet available in Maryland Health Connection; therefore, if you choose to search for them on the website, you will receive a message that “no doctors are found” message.

This update and several other consumer updates might help explain why as of noon on Monday, October 7, only 326 people in the state had successfully completed the application process. For example [emphasis added]:

REVIEW OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS CAREFULLY

The application’s built in calculator may underestimate total out-of-pocket costs in some cases. Remember that if you are eligible for reductions in cost sharing, only silver plans will qualify. So a bronze plan might cost less in premium, but more in total out of pocket cost. We expect this to be fixed in the very near future, so if you would prefer, please check back in the next several weeks.

SHOP ONE PERSON AT A TIME

In some cases, the application has trouble processing multiple applications at once. In case this happens to you, there is a solution: shop for each person separately. The price will be the same as if you are shopping together

SALARY CALCULATION

Please calculate your salary using annual, weekly, quarterly or monthly calculations. Our application is currently miscalculating the bi-weekly salary. You will be able to see the calculated salary to ensure that the information you input is correct.

The consumer update page does not yet indicate that any of these issues have been resolved.

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)

[Mom MD]

My group is the only group at a mid sized suburban hospital. We have to take all patients admitted to the hospital no matter what their insurance or lack thereof. We do not have the luxury of turning down someone because of their insurance. And due to the expense of hospitalization there is no way we could do a cash only or concierge practice.

Medicare and Medicaid are bad enough. They just completely changed the rules on admission vs observation status on oct 1 with only about 2 months notice. My team and I has to learn an entirely new set of tules in a very short period of time guess wron, and they don’t pay.....I can only imagine what Obamacare will look like once it gets going

[cynwoody]

The goal is that they will all be ZERO'S DOCTORS.

But who would want to be one of Zero's doctors?

Once upon a time, an MD degree meant a nice car and a big house in the suburbs and being on call on Christmas every few years.

Now it means delivering health care "as the Secretary may require" and losing your shirt in compliance costs.

Obviously, it would behoove a young person of above average intelligence to seek other lines of work.

Elections have consequences, especially if you get sick.

[RedMDer]

That’s why mine retired.

[dhs12345]

Yup. This could be the set up.

I heard a Democrat the other day blaming the mess on the fact that they had to give on the single payer requirement. No doubt that was and is their plan.

[MinuteGal]

Like your medical acquaintances, my family doctor recently also gave up his practice to work for a hospital. Nice assured income, lower overhead and bookkeeping costs are the underlying reasons.

Another of my doctors, along with his partner, have consolidated their practices with a large medical combine. Same reason.

A third doctor has just plain retired at a youngish middle age....he also told me he's going to go to work for a hospital.

I pay for Medicare, of course, plus Mutual of Omaha, my supplemental insurance, has increased its premiums from $2100 a year to almost $5000 a year in the past 18 months ALONE thanks to ObamaCare. I'm getting deathly afraid to go through my mail and see an envelope with Omaha's company logo on the upper left!

Ah, the liberal Utopia is rapidly enfolding us, but methinks we'll be too tired, poor and ailing to even enjoy it.

Leni

[steve86]

I did not know supplemental policies had gone up so much. No way will we be able to afford anything like that.

we'll be too tired, poor and ailing to even enjoy it.

Certainly appears that way.

[freekitty]

There is no healthcare in Obamacare.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland "Freak State" PING!

[RedMDer]

MEGA FAIL!!

[sickoflibs]

Yep, I unfortunately reside in Maryland.

[the OlLine Rebel]

My husband’s doctor is probably on there, liberal nanny-stater that he is.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Read the Privacy statement with particular attention to email policy, “your correspondence could be disclosed to other parties upon their request in accordance with Maryland’s Public Information Act.” As well as the last sentence of the first paragraph under General Privacy Policy: "The only exception to this policy is that we may share information provided in your application with the appropriate authorities for law enforcement and audit activities."

Think Richard Nixon's dreams.
Think enemies list.

[sheik yerbouty]

“You may take one suitcase, a loaf of bread and a tin of jam. You will be housed, you will be fed”. Now get on the train, mach schnell!

[ExTexasRedhead]

All done by design; Holocaust II designed by OBayMe, Pelosi, Reid and the goons in the RAT Congress, ya think?

[ExTexasRedhead]

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcudlm6tPa0