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I'm in limbo on the ID verification issue so I thought I'd try starting with a new account. Did the Create Account thing with a different email and got an error. Did it again and got a "user name already used" error so I did it again with another user name. Got another error "not able to create accounts at this time" or something like that.

Then I got emails indicating that I just created 2 new accounts! I confirmed the email on one of them, but when I login it won't let me do an application. If I click on Verify Identity I get a page with blue background and no texts or input fields.

I think they are playing with us.
 
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I been messing with it for 1.5 hours now. Got id and verified. Started an application on the are you eligible for insurance in 2014 question it wouldn't save. Chatted with a person who said they were still having problems. Waited a while, got back in but much data was lost. Do developers today not know what a LUW is?

Really this ain't like sending a spaceship on a journey. Glad this system isn't called 'Life Support'. I'm further now than I have been. Time to do something else.

MRG
 
After chat sessions and another phone call, all I have got is the "We have a lot of visitors" reply, "Keep trying, try off peak hours, later in the day" etc.

It was actually working better last week than it is now.
 
Nothing but the same to report here. I may try one more time with healthcare.gov today, but then waiting for tomorrow. This is not the conducive to making a happy day.
 
I got my call back from The Healthcare Marketplace about my identity verification issue. The gentleman was nice but after confirming who I was, including my phone number (uh, YOU just called ME) he basically told me that nothing could be done, I just have to wait. The website is overloaded blah blah blah....we keep dealing with glitches blah blah blah ....and please accept our apologies yada yada, never expected so many people...... keep trying at off hours......it should improve as we work on the glitches......

Poor guy, I actually felt bad for him having to call all these people and make excuses.

I'm trying not to get all twisted up over this and just be patient. It's just so stupid that so many of us can't get into the info and process that we need.
 
Sue J said:
I got my call back from The Healthcare Marketplace about my identity verification issue. The gentleman was nice but after confirming who I was, including my phone number (uh, YOU just called ME) he basically told me that nothing could be done, I just have to wait. The website is overloaded blah blah blah....we keep dealing with glitches blah blah blah ....and please accept our apologies yada yada, never expected so many people...... keep trying at off hours......it should improve as we work on the glitches......

Poor guy, I actually felt bad for him having to call all these people and make excuses.

I'm trying not to get all twisted up over this and just be patient. It's just so stupid that so many of us can't get into the info and process that we need.
Click to expand...

So what happens if the software problems don't improve substantially in the next two, three, or four weeks? If the major bugs aren't worked out until some point in early November that leaves a window of only 5-6 weeks before the Dec 15 deadline to sign up for Jan 1 coverage. Wouldn't that force even more volume online during the shortened window, causing even more capacity problems?

Sounds like a potential disaster in the making...
 
oldtrig said:
I am on Medicare. I waited until 65 before I retired just for that reason. Now my wife is a different story. She turns 65 in 6 months. Her BCBS rates will double if she keeps it. I say the heck with it. Roll the dice and we will just wait for Medicare to kick in. I feel sorry for all you people that are young and retired. :facepalm:
Click to expand...

Don't feel sorry for us. I finally have more than one choice in a plan and actually can move to another state if I want.
 
jflynn4 said:
So ..... I was able to complete enrollment on Friday but never received any type of confirmation so I called the 800 #. ...
They "can't confirm" anything but did say that, if they did receive the enrollment, that I would be notified via mail .... But cannot tell me if that would be sooner or later.
Click to expand...

I tried the same thing earlier today. My enrollment seems to have been completed on the federal Marketplace. However, when calling the insurer (Blue Cross) they said that they have no record of it yet (from Friday - Wednesday). The individual representative also had not heard of anyone who had a policy on their system that was created on the marketplace.

Also from what I have been able to gather your enrollment is not technically complete until you make your first payment. So if you see enrollment is not complete, that could be the reason.

The way the system was supposed to work is after you select the plan you are sent to a site at the insurer to make your first payment. Then it would be complete. However, that does not appear to work yet in the Federal Exchange, or at least with my insurer. This does seem work at some independently developed state exchanges. So, at best it goes into some manual or offline processing system. At worst, the information hasn't gone anywhere and is still stuck at the federal exchange. No way to know yet since the insurer can't confirm the enrollment at this time.

Also originally the federal Marketplace was supposed to have a way to enter some of your generic info and comparison shop before entering your application data (not the spreadsheet that they show). They even have a table of what fields you could enter, such as your age. This is in their training materials. I get the sense that besides the core functionality, important features that were supposed to be available were not ready as of Oct 1 or to this day. This had to be known in advance of the launch since the training materials do not match the website features. That is not a load issue or something unforeseen. My overall opinion at this point is that they knew this wasn't ready but green lighted it anyway to avoid political embarrassment at the expense of the population's misery and wasting time.
 
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Yesterday I called the 800 number and asked when to expect my identify verification pending to be resolved. I had uploaded a pdf of my drivers license on Sunday. I was logged into Healthcare.gov at the time of the call and was looking at my application and ready to provide it's ID number. When I gave the ID number and my name the person at the other end apologized and said that there was no application for me showing at their end. She then offered to complete an application for me via phone. That took about an hour and when we got done I feel no closer to have this complete than I did back in September. What a disaster.
 
REWahoo said:
So what happens if the software problems don't improve substantially in the next two, three, or four weeks? If the major bugs aren't worked out until some point in early November that leaves a window of only 5-6 weeks before the Dec 15 deadline to sign up for Jan 1 coverage. Wouldn't that force even more volume online during the shortened window, causing even more capacity problems?

Sounds like a potential disaster in the making...
Click to expand...
This risk is greater for people with incomes below 250% of the FPL, because they must use the exchange. Others, eligible for tax credit assistance or paying full fare, may be able to get the policy directly from the insurer. Some insurers have all the policy info available on their websites. In this case one wouldn't get the credit until filing in 2015 but at least it is not disaster scenario.

People can also go visit a navigator and get their assistance.
 
MichaelB said:
This risk is greater for people with incomes below 250% of the FPL, because they must use the exchange. Others, eligible for tax credit assistance or paying full fare, may be able to get the policy directly from the insurer. Some insurers have all the policy info available on their websites. In this case one wouldn't get the credit until filing in 2015 but at least it is not disaster scenario.

People can also go visit a navigator and get their assistance.
Click to expand...

Where does the "250% of the FPL must use the exchange" come from? Tax credit (subsidy) is available for those making 139% to 400% of the FPL (138% and below is Medicaid).
 
shotgunner said:
Where does the "250% of the FPL must use the exchange" come from? Tax credit (subsidy) is available for those making 139% to 400% of the FPL (138% and below is Medicaid).
Click to expand...
See this brief, beginning page 13 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41137.pdf

Cost sharing reduces the deductible and copay amounts for lower income people. This requires a specific policy, however, sold on the exchanges.
 
MichaelB said:
See this brief, beginning page 13 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41137.pdf

Cost sharing reduces the deductible and copay amounts for lower income people. This requires a specific policy, however, sold on the exchanges.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. That was not something I was aware of, I have and am planning to buy a Bronze plan and according to that info in the link above it only applies to Silver plans.
 
I finally got in early this morning and got prices. Since I am living off returned principal with some capital gains and dividends for the next 5-6 years, I qualify for a fairly hefty subsidy (768/month in 2014). So my out of pocket on health insurance ranges from $0-$450 /month depending on what plan I pick. The Kaiser calculator seems like it was pretty much on the money for me.

I don't need coverage until Feb. Does anyone know if you can set a start date like that when you sign up? I stopped at the plans and exited so that my wife and I can research. Some of the paperwork I got from the site after they verified my identity indicated that after Dec 31, if you sign up prior to the 15th of a month, your coverage begins at the start of the next month so I could sign up during the first two weeks of January, but I'm not real good at procrastinating.
 
shotgunner said:
Thanks for the link. That was not something I was aware of, I have and am planning to buy a Bronze plan and according to that info in the link above it only applies to Silver plans.
Click to expand...

You might want to revisit that if you can keep your MAGI below 200% FPL. When I looked at the plans available to me, it was a no-brainer to go with a silver plan with the reduced copays, etc. available at 196% FPL compared to a bronze plan.
 
Day 10 of the Marketplace "train wreck" (to quote a Democratic senator ;))
Good news- I was finally able to create an account & was "verified".
Bad news- Site requires you to go through the application process to shop for Plan details. I got through most of the application but then reached Additional Information screen. The "next" button on that screen would toggle between "back" and "next" but did not take me to another screen. Tried exiting the site & logging back on but cannot re-access my partially completed application.

So far the most complete & specific info I've found is on the Value Penguin site (thanks for that link!!!). I downloaded the healthcare.gov SS, but it has no details beyond premiums for various metal Plans (e.g. deductibles/OOP max, co-pays, network, etc.).
 
ERhoosier said:
Bad news- Site requires you to go through the application process to shop for Plan details. I got through most of the application but then reached Additional Information screen. The "next" button on that screen would toggle between "back" and "next" but did not take me to another screen. Tried exiting the site & logging back on but cannot re-access my partially completed application.
Click to expand...

Did you hit the little person icon in top right corner, when you came back in? Seems thats what I've had to do.


MRG
 
MRG said:
Did you hit the little person icon in top right corner, when you came back in? Seems thats what I've had to do.


MRG
Click to expand...
Oh, I've smacked that little person until he squeals in pain and I'm still stuck in an infinity loop of identity verification. Log out, Log in, change password, do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around.

Massive clusterf#ck. Excuse my language, I'm just really frustrated and jealous of people who live in states with their own portal to Affordable Health Care.

Such a nice concept and I've seen plans from the other websites that make me think this is a possible reality. Just can't get there from here.
 
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Password? Password? I've got your stinkin' password...

Amid all the attention, bugs, and work happening at Healthcare.gov in light of the Affordable Care Act, potential registrants talking to phone support today have been told that all user passwords are being reset to help address the site's login woes. And the tech supports behind Healthcare.gov will be asking more users to act in the name of fixing the site, too. According to registrants speaking with Ars, individuals whose logins never made it to the site's database will have to re-register using a different username, as their previously chosen names are now stuck in authentication limbo.
Click to expand...
Obamacare site hits reset button on passwords as contractors scramble | Ars Technica
 
The other day I made another account using a different email. I can get to that profile but cannot get to the section to put any info into an application. I get a blank page or the page to login, even when I'm already logged in.
 
Right with you Sue. I got most information entered yesterday. Then the system locked. When I got logged in today, most of our information was there, plus an added bonus. Our family grew, now there's 2 of me and 2 of DW. I messed around, couldn't get rid of our clones, after several hours gave up and called 800 number.

We're now waiting for 2 business days,Monday, for a call back from them to have fixed or tell me how to fix it myself.

I doubt I'll get a call. Next time I'll insist on a paper app? Are the phone reps supposed to offer to set this up for you? That might be more appealing as I know what happens to paper applications when the back office is flooded with them.

MRG
 
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