Marketplace Fiasco

[Sherota1]

The true fiasco is how the Obama administration ignored the successful Medicare.gov website and plan search in favor of a system that will never work, no matter how long they tweak it.

I just went to www.medicare.gov and inside of 1 minute have a list of every Medicare plan available in my zip code. 1 MINUTE!. There is no personal information to submit whatsoever.

I spent 2 hours with a client on www.healthcare.gov and never saw a single plan, all we did was try to get her identity 'proofed'.

That makes too much sense.That's why it's not being done. They compare the site to Amazon but on Amazon don't you get to shop around before you create an account? With Healthcare.gov you don't. If you could shop first based on generic personal information first that could solve alot of the problems. Then when the person is ready to buy they could create their account and fill out all information about themselves and their household all in one shot. They should also be able to put in their income information during this part of the process. Once they have completed that process then they could be redirected to Experian's official site for the ID verification process. Once the ID verification process is completed from all sources they should receive an email stating that their ID has been verified they should be able to log back in and be taken directly to the plans they qualify for. (This is the part I think we will really be needed for if we can ever get to this step). So my theory is Shop first. Create an account. Be verified. Then buy.
Seriously who creates an account on any website before they see the product they are intereseted in.
I'm my first customer and still have not advanced past the part where you receive your eligibility letter. I received 5 notifications with the same letter. Until I complete the process I'm not signing anyone up.
A step by step tutorial on what we could have expected would have been nice. Oops can't make a demo of something that doesn't work.

 

[foxmfox1]

I just started my personal search on the "Kaiser" calculator to get an idea. I already had access to the rates from carriers in my area and had a good idea what plans fit me personally, then went to the marketplace website. But we have the advantage, average consumer is befuddled and rightly so at this point. Many of my friends didn't even know that pre-ex was history. Hopefully I'll be able to help my family and friends, BC commissions are minimal, but I just want to help. It worked for me, previous premium was $660, now it's $209 with similar coverage.

 

[Sherota1]

I just started my personal search on the "Kaiser" calculator to get an idea. I already had access to the rates from carriers in my area and had a good idea what plans fit me personally, then went to the marketplace website. But we have the advantage, average consumer is befuddled and rightly so at this point. Many of my friends didn't even know that pre-ex was history. Hopefully I'll be able to help my family and friends, BC commissions are minimal, but I just want to help. It worked for me, previous premium was $660, now it's $209 with similar coverage.

What state are you in? Are you using the Healthcare.gov site? In VA you have to. The defaulted to the Feds.

 

[foxmfox1]

I'm in TN and obviously used healthcare.gov. Been trying since 10/1, finally clicked this morning.

 

[rugerred]

Here is my conversation with their help line.


[5:22:18 pm]: Thanks for contacting Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Please wait while we connect you to someone who can help.
[5:22:22 pm]: Please be patient while we're helping other people.
[5:22:28 pm]: Welcome! You're now connected to Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat.

Thanks for contacting us. My name is Gabriel. To protect your privacy, please don't provide any personal information, like Social Security Number, or any other sensitive medical or personal information.
[5:22:46 pm]: Gabriel
How may I assist you today?
[5:22:57 pm]: Loran
When I log in it gives me success url and a blank page. pop ups off and computer restarted
[5:23:59 pm]: Gabriel
I am sorry to hear you are having issues with our website. To provide more accurate information, could you please tell me if you are looking for information on health insurance in the state you live in, or in a different state?
[5:24:53 pm]: Loran
I am trying to log into my account in my state
[5:25:21 pm]: Gabriel
I apologize for the inconvenience. We have a lot of visitors trying to use our website right now. That is causing some glitches for some people trying to create accounts or log in. Keep trying and thanks for your patience. You might have better success during off-peak hours, like later at night or early in the morning. We'll continue working to improve the site so you can get covered

 

[ctg]

Must have gotten his copy and paste training in New Delhi.

 

[Sherota1]

I'm in TN and obviously used healthcare.gov. Been trying since 10/1, finally clicked this morning.

I finally got in last night. Saw the prices. I'mgoing to by off the exchange before December 31st. I do not want to use a subsidy and with out if for the plans I want is cost between $300-$400 with cost reductions before adding the subsidy. Off exchange with United Health I can get it for between $150 and $250 depending on my deductile.

 

[foxmfox1]

Has anyone else had a problem with printing their certificates? When I initially printed them my NPN# was not included. Now when I go back in to print they are showing my NPN# but I am not allowed to print or save to pdf. When searching it now indicates my certs have expired so I'm assuming you can only print them once. BC has told me the NPN# must be on the certs or they won't certify me. Any ideas and appreciate any help, sure don't want to call the government for help.

 

[BobbyMcGee]

Copy and paste to Word?

 

[foxmfox1]

Thanks, finally figured it out. Not like there's a big hurry to enroll folks anyway.