In a couple of prior threads I mentioned that I was having issues with the website so I thought I'd give a first hand account of my attempt to shop for insurance through the market place set up byt the federal government. On day 2 I was finally able to create a username and password, however upon logging in I would get a blank screen and could go no further. after about 2 weeks (I tried multiple times a day) finally was able login and begin filling out the forms. However when I got to the end of the form the website crashed (the one that was on the news late last week). This weekend I have gone back to finish filling out the forms and have hit sign and save twice now however both times I have gotten emails saying that they are missing information and they send me back to the beginning to fill out the whole form again. Some things to note that even I as a novice (at best) website developer find weird and amusing. The only logic built into the questioning that I can see is that by selecting Male vs Female you are asked if you are pregnant. Other than that you have to answer every question about every member of the family. My 2 year old expects to earn $0 in income in 2014. Both my wife and me claim all of our kids so I'm not sure why I have to answer their relationship to each other. Not sure why they couldn't have built in ways to say that the insurance information I put in for myself is or isn't the same for the whole family. All of this wouldn't be too horrible if I hadn't already put it all in 3 times now and about to have to do a 4th time.
People should be glad that the site is a disaster. Who in their right mind wants to enroll in this mess? It's like a firing squad waiting for the right ammo. When they get it right, you're dead.
By the way Roger, thanks for the report. It's the kind of nugget of genuine, unbiased, informational information we need to see when evaluating pollicies and politicians.
IT problems can be be fixed (although I wouldn't hold my breadth with this administration). However, the laws of arithmetic can't be "fixed." We'll be chuckling with nostalgia about simple issues like website problems in a few years.
35, not that it really matters that much but I'm currently on COBRA through a prior employer. However, my wife prior to this act would be considered uninsurable. Thus my options are continue on COBRA at about $1,500 per month for mediocre insurance and hope to get a job with decent insurance or to switch over on January 1st. My hope is to get into an employer plan but that isn't a given so I'm going through the steps to be ready for either option.
I grabbed this image (the one on the right) off Photobucket to put alongside the Obama logo (my photoshop of what you see). Surprised to see such similarities in color tones of the red and the blue, and the overall sense of the design. Not trying to call progressive liberalism heavily socialist, but the principles are the same: top-down centralized planning of the economy. My wife, mother-in-law, family,... from Soviet era. They remember what was talked about in the kitchens. How life went with the government planning. What it is like under that kind of centralized rule. The whole point is that it just doesn't work. Period. I think one time Obama even said Period. End of Story. How appropriate. This Affordable Care Act was instituted as an example of how the government can mandate -- key word: mandate -- prescribe, control, allocate, direct, manage.... every aspect of a sector of citizens lives. What do you think was the idea for a century in the USSR? Even at The University of Texas 50 years ago, college students were aware of differences between economic and non-economic institutions. The idea was, "Sure, we don't want harsh treatment of our lives as in a Communist country, but what's wrong over there is the belief they can manage and control the economic part of life as well. And you can't do that either." In the end, by 1989, the USSR failed more on economics than the non-economic institutions. It went bankrupt and proved you cannot centrally control an economy to that extent. It does not work. Period. End of Story. How is Affordable Care Act any different? Medicine and health care is reported to be 1/6th -- 18% -- of the US Economy. How in the world can the federal government MANDATE that and control it, and it not be any worse a disaster than centralized economic planning in the USSR?
To acknowledge changes in our family plan, an individual plan that qualifies for an HSA (Health Savings Account), it had a couple of changes, to include mastectomy surgery and reconstruction, and coverage for an acquired brain injury. A long list of procedures and recovery treatment on the latter one. Our policy was not canceled, increased 19% over last year, having increased the previous two years 11% and then 15%, for a combined 52% from the year ACA was signed into law. I consider us fortunate the way things turned out, given the numbers I am hearing. What is important to us is the high quality insurance company, the quality of the product, and the doctor. We would be devastated if we had been forced onto the government exchanges. I really feel for all those who have had their insurance wrecked by this law, and if you pay attention to the incidents they are from the middle class. At least, those represented in the news coverage I've seen. Stands to reason that middle class would have been able to go out and purchase on the private individual market. So would appear the legislation from the beginning aimed at supporting 15% of the population with high probabilities of upsetting 5%. Something like that. And anytime you have something happen that is "just 5% of the population," is a message of disregard. "To say 5% of Americans can just tough it out and deal with it" kind of thing. But there may be more than 5% of the population who are going to be affected before this is over. When the employee mandate goes into effect.... but, I'm not sure things will get that far. Who knows these days what the future holds on this legislation.
Next year those with insurance thru employers will get the boot........including those retired or working for the State of Tx.......just wait and see.................Thanks libs/dems/ and republicans that voted for this nation killing bill.
Seattle, Does the sky have to fall for Obamacare to be terrible for this country? Is everything short of a fall equivalent to that of the Roman Empire a green light? Is becoming Spain okay with you?
No, it isn't. The senate was never going to vote to defund it. Their votes were token votes so they could say they didn't want the shutdown.
Husker Do you think that next year when the year's delay of Ocare has expired employers are going to continue to offer health insurance?
I wouldn't be surprised that next year most employers ( including State retirement systems ) will dump their employees/retirees insurance.
Why would they do that when they can continue to offer insurance and pass along the increased costs to the employees?
Some companies will, particularly those with large non-exempt employee populations but the vast majority still see benefits packages as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The more emphasis that is placed on Benefits the more that holds true, IMHO. Now...retirees benefits? Yes, they will and should go the way of pensions. Companies (and states) simply can't afford to carry large retiree benefit programs.
Im fine with moving away from them for new employees or recent hires. The state is requiring more come out of teacher's checks and school districts will be contributing more as well. A some point, it might be better to move to a 401K system where the state matches up to a certain amount.
Tx Employees Retirement System has not given a pension raise to retirees since before 1998 when I retired. Employee contributions have increased virtually every year and the fund has kept the system in good shape with good management. Politicians will always go after a pile of money and will use any excuse. Obozocare may be another excuse to do so.
Just a quick update as I didn't intend this thread to be a debate on the law just more of a factual documenting of the process as many or most of you have not and may not ever even attempt to go through the marketplace. I have now put in all my information twice and partially 2 more times and every time I've had to re-input most of the information as it starts me at the beginning and doesn't appear to properly save information that was input at a prior visit. It has been a busy week so this will have to get put off till I have time this weekend.
