Green Energy
- Insurers, Consumers Await Hhs Guidance As Deadline Looms
From the USA Today: Some frustrated consumers are sending premium payments to insurers who have never heard of them. Others say they will pass up federal subsidies and pay full price through insurers, while still others have given up altogether on the...
- How Ridiculous Is The Obamacare Number Using Shopping Cart Selection As A ‘sale’?
It counts ME.Last night WaPo described how the Obama Admin will be counting as enrollment anyone who got to the actual plans and clicked on one as a choice from several presented (catastrophic, bronze, silver, gold from any supplier) and then never paid....
- Obamacare Sign Up Attempt On 10-25, And A Word About Those New ‘estimates’ Of Premiums
I will need the psychiatric portion of this plan very soon.BTW .. the new (browse your plan) option?I have received tweets, emails, and comments in other places which have been incredulous, and/or called me a liar so I am going to post the actual plans...
- Media Bias And Obamacare Web?
AP:ONLINE DELAYS SIGNAL STRONG DEMAND FOR HEALTH CAREOverloaded websites and jammed phone lines frustrated consumers for a second day as they tried to sign up for health insurance under the nation’s historic health care overhaul.That was putting pressure...
- The Objective Reality Of Obamacare In The Numbers Here In Maine
I had to check this three times before I believed it. A word separate .. I had believed that while this act was extremely inadvisable the republicans were inflexibly exaggerating it's 'horror', and that it was a political football, especially...
Green Energy
Obamacare Enrollment Results 10-29: Watch out for that Obamacare enrollment step.. IT’S A DOOZY
OKAY!
I set up a new account/identity with a different Email address and got all the way through to being vetted for tax credit and got shown plans.
BIG CHANGE, right?
Well, hold on …
At the point of choosing a plan when you are vetted you are sent a document which says this:
Well I can see the ASTRONOMICAL premium, which is the BASIC rate, and which holds no final guarantee is correct. The basic rate is more than 30% higher than a plan I could have gotten last year. I have already held forth on the modifiers which increase that basic premium on the Maine site.
Final premium = basic rate* plan factor * area factor *age factor * tobacco factor
Nowhere on the site is any tax credit indicated. Only eligibility. Also it says PLAINLY I have to make a payment of the 1st month’s premium FIRST before the exchange process is fully engaged.
Something between $1200 and $6034, who knows, NOT THE SITE.
So what’s going on?
AHA!! The live chat. (note the times… process began at 6:04)
[07:27:51 am]: Thanks for contacting Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Please wait while we connect you to someone who can help.
[07:27:54 am]: Please be patient while we’re helping other people.
[07:27:58 am]: Welcome! You’re now connected to Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat.Thanks for contacting us. My name is NAME REDACTED. To protect your privacy, please don’t provide any personal information, like Social Security Number, or any other sensitive medical or personal information.
[07:28:28 am]: Me
Do I have to make the first month’s payment when I enroll BEFORE I find out what the subsidy is?
[07:29:12 am]: NAME REDACTED
Give me a moment and I will research that before you.
[07:30:37 am]: NAME REDACTED
If you qualify for a tax credit it should be included in the plans your looking to enroll in to.
[07:30:56 am]: Me
It is not indicated ANYWHERE.
[07:31:32 am]: NAME REDACTED
Have you gotten a statement that say’s you qualify for a tax credit?
[07:31:43 am]: Me
Yes, a pdf
[07:32:26 am]: NAME REDACTED
Thank you for your question, it will be just a moment while I research that information.
[07:36:43 am]: NAME REDACTED
Thank you for your interest in the Marketplace and for sharing your feedback. We apologize for any technical difficulties you may be experiencing as you use HealthCare.gov. We know this can be frustrating, and we’re working around the clock to improve HealthCare.gov and to make sure your experience with it is a positive one.
I will make a note of your feedback. In the meantime, you can still complete an application right now by selecting the following link to download a paper application:
http://marketplace.cms.gov/getofficialresources/publications-and-articles/publications-and-articles.html. Choose the application that best fits your needs under “Marketplace Consumer Application.”
You may also call the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 for help with completing an application or to request a paper application by mail.
[07:38:18 am]: Me
NAME REDACTED, while I appreciate your efforts, YOU DID NOT ANSWER A QUESTION MOST BASIC TO THIS ENTIRE EFFORT. Is there no one there who can tell me if I must pay 100% of the premium before enrollment, and why no tax credit amount is indicated?
[07:40:48 am]: NAME REDACTED
We have some glitches in healthcare.gov, which is why a lot of information isn’t showing up yet.
[07:40:56 am]: NAME REDACTED
I apologize for the inconvenience.
[07:41:58 am]: Me
Having been an IT professional… these are not glitches. I feel sorry for you. You are having to answer for a complete roll out failure. Good Luck
So, some aspects of the site work better IF you have an account created NOW. However, the meat of the site, pricing and detail information about the plans and the tax credits (i.e. SHOPPING) don’t function, and the ‘Navigators’ clearly have no more information than one can find oneself.
The local CO-OP plan in Maine which is the lowest cost apparently has NO out of network coverage. Also no cardiac maintenance coverage, the number one killer of men in the USA. So as expected, only Anthem is a realistic ‘option’.
Oh, by the way, the Rx deductible of these ‘GOLD’ plans is about the entire cost of ONE YEAR of pure cash Rx cost from a reputable Canadian pharma for me and that is for Lipitor, Plavix, Metaprolol and Ramipril. Mind blowing considering there is a monthly premium ALSO.
Conclusion today, 10-29-13 ..
Only a SCHMUCK would click ENROLL right now.
They CANNOT be accurate and tell you your ACTUAL premium, and they cannot tell you what your tax credit will be.
What they have now is a pilot web test site with test data to display.
That works better than a month ago. But it has no meaning.
I have no where to go right now except OPT OUT, which at these prices is a no brainer.
- Insurers, Consumers Await Hhs Guidance As Deadline Looms
From the USA Today: Some frustrated consumers are sending premium payments to insurers who have never heard of them. Others say they will pass up federal subsidies and pay full price through insurers, while still others have given up altogether on the...
- How Ridiculous Is The Obamacare Number Using Shopping Cart Selection As A ‘sale’?
It counts ME.Last night WaPo described how the Obama Admin will be counting as enrollment anyone who got to the actual plans and clicked on one as a choice from several presented (catastrophic, bronze, silver, gold from any supplier) and then never paid....
- Obamacare Sign Up Attempt On 10-25, And A Word About Those New ‘estimates’ Of Premiums
I will need the psychiatric portion of this plan very soon.BTW .. the new (browse your plan) option?I have received tweets, emails, and comments in other places which have been incredulous, and/or called me a liar so I am going to post the actual plans...
- Media Bias And Obamacare Web?
AP:ONLINE DELAYS SIGNAL STRONG DEMAND FOR HEALTH CAREOverloaded websites and jammed phone lines frustrated consumers for a second day as they tried to sign up for health insurance under the nation’s historic health care overhaul.That was putting pressure...
- The Objective Reality Of Obamacare In The Numbers Here In Maine
I had to check this three times before I believed it. A word separate .. I had believed that while this act was extremely inadvisable the republicans were inflexibly exaggerating it's 'horror', and that it was a political football, especially...