Oregon health care exchange website never worked, has no subscribers

[FarCenter]

Oregon, a state that fully embraced the Affordable Care Act, is enduring one of the rockiest rollouts of President Barack Obama's signature health care law, with an inoperative online exchange that has yet to enroll a single subscriber, requiring thousands to apply on paper instead.

Unlike most other states, Oregon set an ambitious course to make its insurance exchange, dubbed Cover Oregon, an "all-in-one" website for every individual seeking health coverage, including those who are eligible for Medicaid.

But instead of serving as a national model, Oregon's experience has emerged as a cautionary tale, inviting comparisons to technical glitches that have plagued other state-run portals and the federal government's website for those states lacking exchanges of their own.

Oregon's online exchange has remained inaccessible to the public, requiring the state to sign up applicants the old-fashioned way, using paper forms. This has made comparison shopping more difficult for consumers and severely slowed the enrollment process.

"Oregonians have questions," said state Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat, in a written statement on Tuesday. "What went wrong with the rollout? How are they going to fix it? When are they going to get it right? Is the website contractor doing everything it can? Our people need to know."

Courtney urged state lawmakers to "ask the hard questions" of officials overseeing the state's health care exchange, and the Oregon Health Authority, at a pair of legislative hearings on the program scheduled for Wednesday.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/oregon-health-care-exchange-website-never-worked-has-no-subscribers-2D11624178

[bhikkhu]

1. But it still let me browse and compare plans, estimate costs, and find local providers

and then print an easy application to mail in. Which is just fine at this point.

Just looking at it this evening - they have posted a bunch of scheduled "Application Fairs". Having already applied I don't think I'll need to go to one, but that sounds like another good way to get the job done. Personally, as with Healthcare.gov, I'm fairly ambivalent about the need to apply for coverage online; it never was especially necessary. As long as they put up enough information to get things started, that's fine.

[FarCenter]

2. Good luck

Nearly 25,000 individuals and families have so far submitted hard-copy applications, Cox said, with nearly two-thirds of those applicants eligible for Medicaid, a federal-state health care plan for the needy.

But none of those applicants has actually been enrolled, with manual processing of the paperwork slowing the process dramatically.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

3. Your negativity gives me hope

We are going to see this through and negative nellies like you are in panic mode clinging to any bad news you can find or fabricate. People will get their coverage, it will make our lives better, and you will have a sad. Awwwwwwwwwww!!!!!

Poow poow widdle Far Center (off your beam).

[NuclearDem]

4. Wow, that wasn't totally infantile or anything.

[Tigress DEM]

5. I have a sneaking suspicion that a bunch of these "glitches" etc will be tracked back to sabotage

That some fox among the hens either messed up some basic codes wrecking things from the inside and/or some kind of "bot" attacks to overwhelm the system like their phone calls at election times... somehow this is all going to trace back to intentional wreckage on the part of the party of NO.

But it will take so long to prove they will be like... What that is old news. Not even worth mentioning.

[greymattermom]

6. Is Kentucky working well?

Then Kentucky should sell its software to other states. Why have every state do this if good software already exists. Every company doesn't have to develop peoplesoft.

[FarCenter]

8. Each state has its own software procurement process, usually from local, politically connected firms

I'm sure the firms surrounding each state's capital could come up with numerous reasons to convince the state's politicians that their state's requirements are different and cannot be met by a system built for another state.

[scheming daemons]

7. Better Believe It!