Obamacare and verifying identity.

[diabeticman]

As some of you know my wife has had issue completing the website sign up. They can't Verify her identity. She was informed she couldn't go in person to a sign up place to verify her identity because she started the app online. She had no way of uploading the info so she sent it to the address and as not gotten anything back stating her identity was verify and she can't sign up. We need to know how much she needs to pay in order to get the money saved up.


I heard that you can directly sign up with the insurance companies BUT I know some are still selling JUNK polices. So how or where should my wife go to get it directly.

[grantcart]

1. Two ideas

Don't wait but actually go in and talk to somebody here:

https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/

Contact your nearest local Democratic Congressperson's home district office and ask for help.

[Rstrstx]

2. Do you know what the problem was?

Was it getting through the Experian checkpoint or is there a more fundamental problem, say, with her name or SSN etc?

If it's as simple as answering their little questions correctly at the verify identity gate I found the best thing to do was just scrap the original application and start a new one with a different account name. Don't wait for them to call you back, not gonna happen.

Unfortunately in order to create a new account you'll have to get a new email address, but gmail or similar will only be too happy to oblige you with a new one that you can use just for healthcare.gov (and if it fails again, just create another healthcare and email account until you get through, just be sure you keep your "winning" account and email straight). I have at least 12 abandoned emails floating out there that were sacrificed to get through, but once I was in and chose a plan everything is apparently OK (am just waiting for the card and first bill from Blue Cross, they already sent a confirmation enrollment letter).

Don't worry about reusing your name, SSN, etc, apparently the only thing they check to see whether someone has tried to sign up before is by looking up their account name and email address.

Now this is all assuming your wife will be eligible for a subsidy. If she isn't I'd just go through the provider's website or contact them directly.

[Travis_0004]

3. you may not need a new email account

Gmail ignores a period in email addresses. So [e-mail] and [e-mail] are the same.

Gmail also ignores the plus sign and whatever comes after it. So you could use the email [e-mail]. this trick is cool because if they sell your info you will know who is doing it and be able to block just that address. These tips might work for other email providers as well but I use gmail so that is who I have experience with.

[Rstrstx]

6. Even easier

Just use a 1, 2, 3 etc at the end of your name (e.g [e-mail], JohnDoe2, etc). You can do as many of those as you want, even keep the same password

[diabeticman]

4. It was the whole Experian thing. That was something that made her livid that they would use

a credit reporting agency to verify people's identity

[Rstrstx]

5. I'm not thrilled with it either but that's the way they set it up

But I think the online verification goes through them regardless. It's not like they don't have that information already.

[diabeticman]

7. They government has the greatest source of verification check already the social security office.

everyone has a social security number and almost every town has a freaking office. IF they couldn't verify someone's identity using the social security number they could have had them go into the office and show photo ID. BUT they had to use a credit reporting agency. THEY CLAIM credit info on you isn't used but I don't trust that claim.

[Rstrstx]

8. You're right, but...

..it's surely not practical to change it this late in the game