White House: 1 in 5 won’t make it through website

[DonViejo]

Source: AP

White House: 1 in 5 won’t make it through website

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says 20 percent of Americans won’t make it through the website to buy health insurance through new exchanges.

The Obama administration is scrambling to fix the malfunctioning website by Nov. 30. But White House spokesman Jay Carney says there will still be 1 in 5 who will start the process online but won’t be able to purchase insurance.

Carney says technical problems are only one reason. Some won’t be comfortable using a computer to buy insurance. For others, their tax situation is too complicated for the website to determine eligibility for subsidies.

Carney says trained navigators and call centers can better serve those individuals. He says the White House is also considering other channels to help people get enrolled, such as direct sign-ups through insurance companies.

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Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/11/18/white_house_1_in_5_wont_make_it_through_website/

[LiberalFighter]

1. I wanted to check out the exchange over the weekend to see how it was doing

and what I would pay if I had to go through them. Logged in fine and didn't have any problems that were the fault of programming. I had to stop though when it got to the point where I would find out the available options. I felt based on the language I would be at risk of felony charges mainly because I already have very good insurance.

[warrior1]

2. they can always call

[former9thward]

3. No, they can't.

The call center will not go over all the options with you. Your are refereed to the website.

[riversedge]

5. umm. the article says to use the telephone.

...Carney says technical problems are only one reason. Some won’t be comfortable using a computer to buy insurance. For others, their tax situation is too complicated for the website to determine eligibility for subsidies.

Carney says trained navigators and call centers can better serve those individuals.

He says the White House is also considering other channels to help people get enrolled, such as direct sign-ups through insurance companies....

[copperearth]

4. Can/t make it through web site? Try the telephone!

I tried signing up online on Saturday. Tried three times, and got through just so far and then I had the brilliant idea of calling them. They took the application over the phone, walked me through each step and answered all my questions. Nothing beats talking to a live person. I am now signed up and they are sending me information on insurers and payments. No excuse for not signing up because of a silly web site and that is all it is-an excuse!!!

[riversedge]

6. I am glad to hear the call centers will send you the information

via the mail.

[diabeticman]

7. They also should admit that they are using a CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY to VERIFY identities of people

so if the company hasn't had a record of you in their system YOU are stuck in this limbo like my wife is.

[TomCADem]

8. Not LBM and Misleading Headline

Talking Points Memo and WaPo Discussed This Since Friday and as noted in this link, which the linked article fails to note, the 20 percent includes people who refuse to use the website in the first place, so it is a misleading headline.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251339506#post9

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/beneath-the-headlines-on-healthcare-gov

A few days ago I was speaking to some folks on the inside of the effort to get HealthCare.gov working. Their take on the much-discussed Post piece stating that the site was likely not to be ready by December 1st was that it mistook how any site works. Not that it was wrong per se but was too binary in its take. It's not like a car where you put your key in the ignition and it starts or it doesn't. It's an inherently incremental and iterative process - which at least as a general matter is true with any website, large or small, especially large.

* * *
But fairly far down in the article is this paragraph ...

According to a government official familiar with the new target, the 20 percent who are unlikely to be able to enroll online are expected to fall into three groups: people whose family circumstances are so complicated that the Web site cannot determine their eligibility for subsidies to help pay for health plans; people uncomfortable buying insurance on a computer; and people who encounter technical problems on the Web site.

It would clarify a lot if we knew a breakdown of these three categories within that 20%. But this is some pretty serious fine print and puts the 80/20 in a somewhat different light.

After all, getting the site to "work" for people who are unwilling or uncomfortable buying insurance on their computer seems like a pretty intractable problem and not what most people think of when they talk about the site 'working'.

[hedgehog]

9. My BIL was complaining that he couldn't get through the web site -

using his 2002 computer and whatever version of Windows was running back then! He has a brand new computer sitting in the packing box because he hasn't gotten around to setting it up.

Thanks, Obama!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. This is a serious issue ...

... I mean, how can someone have a brand new computer in the box and NOT immediately set it up, no matter what time of day, what weather, whatever?

Does your BIL need the exchange? Or, like many of us, is he just going there out of curiosity?

I hope everyone who needs the exchange is successful, and soon.