Posted on 10/16/2013 7:20:30 AM PDT by VideoPaul
Like everyone, I'm eventually going to need to see a doctor. Something is eventually going to go wrong with me and I'll need someone to fix it. My employer's health insurance rates go up every year. And our president has spent the last five and a half years promising affordable health care...and that insurance rates would go down if we'd just enact this sweeping change to the medical system in America.
It was with these facts in mind that I decided to see what rates I could get from Mr. Obama's vaunted "affordable Care Act" and its online presence, "Healthcare dot gov".
It's day 15 of this process and I decided to start telling the story of my journey so far. In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I'm a member of the broadcast news media and have been for the last almost 30 years. Because my employer, at least for the time being, offers health care coverage, this isn't a necessary thing, but rather a journey of curiosity. And if the lowered premiums and affordable care that Mr. Obama has been promising us actually materializes as a result of this legislation, I'll take advantage of it. Further goading me into action was the story of some poor guy who allegedly got a threatening E-mail when he declined to buy what he was offered, threatening suspended driving privileges, garnishment of money directly from bank accounts, and even jail time. I really want to see if I get one of those letters, which I will be more than happy to post if it arrives.
The only limits I placed on this is a daily one hour time limit. After that point, I get up and walk away no matter what little has happened, and wait until the next day to try some more. It’s saved me from having to replace at least six computer monitors.
As of day 15, I haven't been able to see any rates at all.
On the first four days of Obamacare, I was unable to get in at all on the web site, getting the various error messages such as "Unexpected Error. Error ID: " and the all too familiar please wait while we connecting you message.
On day five, I was able to get in to submit a user name and password, which was then unable to complete within the system. The next day I managed to enter that information and was told to wait for an E-mail, which came two days later. On subsequent days, I was able to get the system to accept one or two bits of information, such as what state I live in, before the system faulted out and wouldn't take any more. Every day I did a little bit more. I have taken advantage of the "live chat" sessions every time I run into a roadblock, on the off chance that I have done something wrong. Every time I get the same, sometimes character for character identical response telling me that there are "glitches" and to please be patient. At what point we cross the line between "glitches" and "utter system failure" is unclear, but I think it's safe to say that we've long since passed that demarcation.
This past Monday, I was able to get in and see my "profile", which told me that my identity couldn't be verified despite giving the system 100% accurate information. I have had exactly two addresses since 1996, and I file my taxes every year. The government is very fully well aware of who I am. In addition, previous work in law enforcement means that my fingerprints and identity are well ensconsed with various state police agencies, as well as the FBI through my certification for access to the NCIC computer system. I hold a valid United States passport. I have various licenses issued by the federal government as well. Yes, the government is exceptionally well aware of who I am, where I live, and how to find me.
So when the system told me that my identity couldn't be verified, I was more than puzzled as to why this might be. I would be the world's worst fugitive. I'm still using the same name given to me at birth several decades ago. The same social security number and date of birth have always been associated with this. Having received White House press credentials to cover appearances by presidents and vice-presidents in the past and having gotten these clearances, I know that the government has in the past been able to ascertain that I am who I say I am with no "glitches" whatsoever.
So, I scanned and uploaded an image of my driver's license, which the system listed as an acceptable identity document. I was somewhat impressed last night when I logged in for my hour of fun and say “verification in progress”. Feeling brave, I went and filled in page after page after page of deeply personal, many would say intrusive, information about myself and my family. I have had health insurance al my life and started buying it for myself decades ago. I have never, until now, been asked for my income, and I have never been asked to disclose my race. I’ve never been asked if anyone in my family doesn’t live with me. It’s been a real head-scratcher the entire time, but I’m willing to go through the motions to be able to accurately report one guy’s journey through this system.
This morning I logged in and “verification in progress” had turned into “Identity couldn’t be verified”. I tried to look at the application that I spent an hour filling out the night before and found that all of this information has also disappeared. There was a clickable link that said “verify your identity: which took me, repeatedly, to a blank page with the healthcare dot gov logo and a logout button, and all of the site map, privacy policy and other promotional items, including the obligatory White House web site links at the bottom, but otherwise a blank page.
Once again, I fired up the “Live Chat” whose wait time has, credit where it’s due, fallen from 45 minutes to almost instant connection with someone. However, the banner at the top of the chat box that says “Talk to someone who can help” is false advertising at its finest. Not once has anyone on the live chat solved anything—I just keep getting the same old “we apologize for the inconvenience” stock line.
This morning, I was told again that the system had “glitches” and was told again to try the phone number instead, which I had been offered before but declined to do. I called the call center and got connected to someone who told me that I’d have to talk to Experian. Yes, Experian, the credit score people. Grilled on why a credit reporting agency is involved with health insurance, I was told that they are involved for “verification purposes only”.
Off I go to Experian. Why they are having a problem baffles me as well. Having bought homes three times in my life, the credit scoring rigmarole is all too familiar and every time I sit at a real estate closing, every shred of information about my credit has been verified and re-verified, and any inaccuracies or misunderstandings cleared up before a bank would transfer money for a home purchase. Yeah, Experian (and Trans union and Equifax) all know me really, really well. So this should be easy, right?
Wrong.
The Experian number prompts for a reference number, which the Obamacare web site hasn’t given me. When I admit that I don’t have a reference number, the call is terminated. Back on the phone I go to the Obamacare call center. The representative that I talked to tried to help but couldn’t explain why I hadn’t been given a reference number. I was chained up to a supervisor who couldn’t figure it out either. No one can help me, no one can get me a reference number and no one has anything but apologies and excuses. The bottom line, after the daily allotment of time to ride this bus to nowhere, was that there are system “glitches”, no one knows what’s wrong, no one knows how long it will take to fix it, and there’s nothing anyone can to do help me use this system and get health insurance rates. I actually used those exact words in that exact order and the supervisor’s response was, “Yes, unfortunately, that is all correct.” I was told by the representative before her that she takes call after call after call from people experiencing the same problems. Both asked me to ”wait a few days and try again”.
So, for fifteen days of effort and playing by their rules, I don’t have any more information about how much money I’ll save on my premiums than I did on October 1st. In fact, I’m further away since the identity verification failed and even my profile is losing information. When I looked at it this morning, the online profile has somehow forgotten what state I live in, and the supervisor was unable to find my file in their computer system.
I asked one of the people at the call center today why this system went live if it’s clearly not working, She admitted she didn’t have a good answer for that. So, like a lot of other Americans, I sit and wait to see what my (lower??) rates will be under Mr. Obama’s much hyped plan. You know, the one they won’t even consider stopping the individual mandate on even though after two weeks, it’s still not working.
Obamacare, whatever your opinion of it as a whole is, is not working, not ready, and no one knows when it will be. What we do know is that it’s considered “essential” during the fractional government shutdown, which means that we’re spending money we don’t have to run a system that doesn’t work.
I’ll post further updates when and if I get any real information from Obamacare.
Great post - thanks. And condolences.
Hmmm. . .you know. . .you are right.
My friend..ahem..made it to the verify your identity BS and I said BS.
You should not have to be giving up all this info just to get a quote since they can only go by your age and a few other pieces of info.
You should be able to get a quote on BASIC parameters not your whole damn history.
You could go to ehealth insurance and get a quote without verifying identity and giving a social security number. It might not be the exact quote but it was close enough.
Now the govt steps in and gives your info over to people who have arrest warrents and illegal aliens.
You’d think that for non subsidy rates that you could put in basic demographics and, say, ZIP code, and be able to get rates. I am at a loss to understand why you have to go through all of these machinations to get a simple menu of rates. Wasn’t the idea to spread the cost, burden and risk over large populations?
Were you asked if you had purchased health insurance for any of your pets? I asked that because in the DUmmie FUnnies I posted a KOmmie thread in which a Kommie stated he had been asked that info about a cat he owns.
Oh man, there is a connection to O’CommieCare and CGI which is directly responsible for this fiasco and folks it is a pattern with this Canadian POS.
Pierre Karl Peladeau is an absolute scum bucket who single-handedly destroyed a company I worked for as Director Of Engineering. He took over Quebecor Printing (which at the time was the World’s largest Commercial Printer) after his father died and ran it into the ground all while getting over $6 Million/year in bonuses even when it went bankrupt.
I found a story link from the Montreal Gazette:
Prominent businessman Pierre Karl Peladeau, who is chairman of the ... Canadian tech firm CGI at center of U.S. Obamacare glitch.
Your rate will be about $100 a month, less than a cell phone bill. Obama told me so.
Well, I guess the question regarding the applicant's ethnicity would answer a rather large part of that.
No, I can report no questions about canine hyphen Americans, feline hyphen Americans, rodent hyphen Americans, reptile hyphen Americans or any other type of household pet.
Sounds like a Chicago-style affirmative action “redistribution” boondoggle, like “Ceasefire”, where Rahm gave millions to gang thugs to “stop the violence”.
I would suspect that all your personal information is now in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan & other hotbeds of Identity Theft & fraud.
Watch all of your credit card statement & all your credit reports very carefully until you die.
Good Luck.
I’ve read that the navigators will be getting $48.00 per person they sign up. If the navigators (cohorts of Obama-etc) are answering those phones, and helping me to sign up, they will be making out like fat rats.”””””
I have read here on FR that they will be paid $45 to $48 PER HOUR. They are also being called ‘experts’ with about 20 hours of ‘training’.
What an apprenticeship program that is!!!
Your rate will be about $100 a month, less than a cell phone bill. Obama told me so.”””
Don’t have a cell phone & don’t have an extra $100 a month for the imposter in the Oval Office.
if more people actually signed up, and actually got to see the premiums and deductables they would have to pay, and the actual terms and conditions, then the Republicans would have more people supporting their efforts to abolish Obamacare.
They don't want you to see the real numbers until AFTER it's too late.
It's a jobs program for Obama activists.
Like everyone, I’m eventually going to need to see a doctor.
Good luck with that 56% of doctors are not going to be in the ACA.
The Experian number prompts for a reference number, which the Obamacare web site hasn’t given me. When I admit that I don’t have a reference number, the call is terminated. Back on the phone I go to the Obamacare call center. The representative that I talked to tried to help but couldn’t explain why I hadn’t been given a reference number.
Sounds like it's time to rent Brazil again. This bit sounds like Jill getting the runaround about whether Mr. Buttle's paperwork has been stamped.
I would like to hear “the rest of the story” as it evolves. Will you consider starting a ping list, and adding me to it, please?
Well done. To complete the experience, watch Orson Welles’ “The Trial.” Then decide which is more surreal....
Favorite quote:
“no one knows what’s wrong, no one knows how long it will take to fix it, and there’s nothing anyone can to do help me use this system and get health insurance rates. I actually used those exact words in that exact order and the supervisor’s response was, “Yes, unfortunately, that is all correct.”
Very interesting. Just got into a disagreement with my very dimwitted lefty brother in law last night. He claims he signed up with ease. I suggested he alert the news media as they are looking for these grand success stories!
Let us know what happens next, I’m interested in how this story plays out.
I on the other hand, will never ever ever ever....comply. EVER
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