General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums9 HOURS in and Healthcare.gov still wont let me look at the actual PLANS
As they would apply to MY family. I can see the generic plans available to everyone in the STATE but anything beyond that returns an error message. 8 hours and a hundred crashes to get this far.
In my mind I am picturing millions of Americans trying to make the largely unannounced December 15th deadline and running headlong into this. It's impressively and spectacularly bad. It is a freaking marvel of fail, the cirque du Soleil of incompetence. Right now my wife is so frustrated by the experience that she is ready to drop kick her computer out the window.
So we CALLED the 800 number to get it straightened out.
To be precise, I called the 800 number while my wife sat in our darkened bedroom, crying and clutching her cat and occasionally shrieking out random ACA induced profanities.
The guy on the phone, after taking down all my information and typing it into his computer yet again, reached the exact same place the system had hung up before, and he ran into the same error message we had encountered. Good news, I thought to myself, He was able to duplicate it, he'll know what to do! My optimism was misplaced however. He informed me that he had tried hitting enter three times. This was apparently the limits of his troubleshooting skills. He politely offered to hit enter for me a few more times, but I assured him I could do this myself. I asked what I was supposed to do now, and he did not know. He said, and this is close to a quote "Yeah, it's a mess, it pretty much does this kind of thing all day. Maybe you can try back some other time, that might fix it."
Jackasses like Limbaugh or Paul Ryan say that government is the problem. It's a sentiment that I oppose, not because I don't recognize the partial truth in their words, but because I think the necessary good that government can provide is more important than the all-too-predictable incompetence and corruption.
That said, we just handed them a six-hundred million dollar example to point to.
UPDATE: SEE RESPONSE BELOW ENTITLED UPDATE
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)My thought as well...
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)That was my favorite, too.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)Turn on some lights dude! Someone has a case of the winter blues.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Response to Agschmid (Reply #1)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Number23
(24,544 posts)
brush
(61,033 posts)Is this an old story, before the fixes of the ACA site?
CaliforniaPeggy
(156,957 posts)I am so very sorry.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)to me. Now don't get me wrong, I can appreciate you frustration, however, I would be pushing to find someone who could help me resolve the situation. The person on the phone obviously should have escalated the problem, and I would demand to talk with his supervisor.
Also, since you have to go through healthcare.gov, that implies that your state does not provide its own exchanges, which is very sad.
You can only do the best you can. You indicated a December 15th deadline, I assume that is so you can be covered by January 1st
I was informed from CoveredCa.com, which is the California exchange, that one has until December 23rd. Not sure why that is different than the national one.
Good luck
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)whopis01
(3,931 posts)It had been December 15th but was changed to the 23rd. I am pretty sure that is what he was taking about.
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)Demit
(11,238 posts)Maybe it's the cat that's shrieking b/c she's clutching him too hard.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Can mean the difference between life and death??
Grrrrrr!
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Sitting in darkens rooms, clutching the cat, screaming profanities... All because a website is malfunctioning.
Cool story, bro.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Huh??
Jebus Christ.
Demit
(11,238 posts)Shankapotomus
(4,840 posts)that is being accessed by thousands to millions of people, maybe his last advice to you was good advice. Maybe try it at 2 in the morning when traffic is low?
I don't know why you just didn't take a break and shut it down after 4 hours, let alone 8.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)Shankapotomus
(4,840 posts)it was going to be a tongue-in-cheek list with suggestions like "Move to Sweden." haHa...But those are perfectly good suggestions and, imagine if there was no internet as when SS was launched? It would have all been done by paper anyway.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)And calling the help line isn't working.
I guess try at 2 AM.
They want coverage for January, and they only have about a week left to sign up for it.
itsrobert
(14,157 posts)That's good advice.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Took about 5 hours and numerous runs at it to get a valid account last night. LATE last night.
We got an early off-peak time start on it today. 7am on a wintry Saturday morning.
We're still going. Deleting everything and trying again, this time with new estimated numbers.
Shankapotomus
(4,840 posts)Don't give up.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)2. Paper applications and the telephone: I am assuming that the Helpful Hotline is the one that we have already called, the one that informed us the system was broken for them too. I am not sure how downloading and mailing something in helps in this case, as the PROBLEM is that I cannot see what I am supposed to buy.
3. Navigators and other in-person assistance I need the details of the policies I am MANDATED to purchase.
4. State Medicaid offices Texas does not have expanded medicaid
5. Health insurance companies Yeah, I don't need the TEASER with average prices, I need the ACTUAL policies and numbers and fine print. The details, so I can buy it.
6. Web-based insurance brokers Hopefully I don't need to go this route.
7. Insurance agents and brokers I need to look at ALL the plans and options, not just the plans offered by any one company.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)Tanuki
(16,507 posts)as necessary to make your choice. If so, you might want to look at this website, which I found to be extremely helpful in understanding all the pros and cons of each of my choices. Like you, I live in a state which did not create its own exchange. I do realize you are having other problems with the healthcare.gov site, but this might help with clarifying which plan is best for your family in the meantime.
http://www.valuepenguin.com/ppaca/exchanges
DonCoquixote
(13,979 posts)of course, a large part of the problem is, like my beloved Florida (sarcasm) your governor is doing everything he can to slow down or stop the ACA, whereas a mighty powerhouse like...Kentucky, is doing fine. Not saying ACA should not have been better, but let's not forget whose shenanigans are still throwing monkey wrenches into the gears.
Mass
(27,315 posts)your insurance start on January 1rst is December 23rd. So, it gives you a few more days to find a solution.
This said, the online registering systems are very frustrating, particularly when you have a problem as there is apparently no support for problems beyond extremely basic problems (and it is true some state sites as well).
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Mass
(27,315 posts)Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)If you make a payment after that day then your insurance would become effective 2/1/14.
Also my insurance company said that they are waiving the deadline and would take debit card transactions up to the end of the month.
Good luck.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)...rant.
After procrastinating for nearly seven weeks, I signed up. It took me 30 minutes.
Vattel
(9,289 posts)That we deflect any implied criticism of our hero.
"Yes, let's discredit the poster because he thinks government can be incompetent and corrupt. That we deflect any implied criticism of our hero."
...I tend to "discredit" any attempt to validate "Jackasses like Limbaugh or Paul Ryan."
Vattel
(9,289 posts)Demit
(11,238 posts)can get you out of whatever code-induced dead end you are apparently in. Try it.
XRubicon
(2,241 posts)It could be AOL too, you should call AOL to make sure.
flying rabbit
(4,997 posts)tabasco
(22,974 posts)Tell me more about this "all-too-predictable incompetence and corruption."
Got any examples, like Social Security or something, where private business has proven to be more competent and honest?
Health insurance companies?
Blackwater?
Corporate retirement plans?
livetohike
(24,416 posts)Call the 1-800 number again. Ask to complete the application over the phone. They will tell you 2)whether you will receive any subsidies and b)how those subsidies affect whichever plan you choose.
How do you choose a plan? You can get this info on line. The various plans available for your state/county. You should be able to just look at it on healthcare.gov without completing the application process. Choose a couple plans. The representative will be able to go down through each line item and tell you how those numbers change based on the subsidy you receive.
I helped my neighbor through this on Thursday and we couldn't get by the income verification info. The rep at the 1-800 number finished it for us.
Ask them to help you finish this.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)darkangel218
(13,985 posts)gulliver
(14,072 posts)But in all seriousness, anonymous, unverifiable anti-ACA posts, even absurd creative writing fails like this one, should normally just be ignored.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)gulliver
(14,072 posts)Thanks! This only gets better and better.
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Out in the chaos of the beast-maddened world, the sneering and sarcastic acolytes of the Magical Priest King laughed heartily at the family's pain - they blocked up their ears as if with wax at any sadness, lest the Magical Priest King be considered less glowing. They crowded about, pointing and laughing. Always pointing and laughing....
gulliver
(14,072 posts)The man turned toward his wife.
"It's not working."
"Did you try crushing the computer?"
"Ok, honey. Put down the cat."
Demit
(11,238 posts)Falls tragically short of the bathos in the OP, but I uncurled my sneering lip long enough to enjoy it
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Disgusting.
louslobbs
(3,416 posts)Lou
Iggo
(50,049 posts)Made my morning!
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)I gather that the next DUer who applies should have two witnesses (not immediate family members) in the room with him or her at the start of the process. These witnesses should note when the effort begins, when it ends, and what the results were. They should report their findings in sworn affidavits, which will be notarized. Any post complaining about any ACA difficulty must include the PDF of each affidavit, along with each witness's full name, address, telephone number, and email address, so that the reports can be verified.
Is your position that you'll ignore any post that doesn't meet these requirements?
The serious point is that, in the context of an internet message board, "unverifiable" is a fairly odd criticism. I for one am prepared to believe that someone like Demo Chris, with more than 4,000 posts, is not a Limbaughite who's put that much effort into setting up a DU persona just to pave the way for lying about Healthcare.gov problems. I'm especially prepared to believe it when this admittedly "unverifiable" account is completely consistent with what many other people have reported.
Holly_Hobby
(3,033 posts)You would not believe what I've gone through with the ACA website. I'm not going into the entire story here, I'd type my fingers to the bone. I'm just grateful we already have insurance, because my issues on that website won't be solved for a very long time.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)Holly_Hobby
(3,033 posts)I completed a paper application, and they approved it, but I don't have that in writing, only a verybal approval. There is no way to look at the plans because I can't log in to our account. The only "helpers" here are from a new insurance company, and they refuse to show me plans from other companies. My doctor is not accepting new insurance companies. So I've seen exactly 3 plans, which do not meet our needs.
For $768/month presently, we get a $400 deductible, $2,000 out of pocket, $20 doctor co-pays, $10 drugs, and dental and vision. I doubt the ACA can beat that anyway. I sure don't want to save $150/month on premiums and have a $6,350 deductible. That would be dumb.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)isn't there a phone number you can call? You indicated you completed a paper application that was approved verbally.
That has to be associated with an insurance company, and that insurance company should have a phone number where you could call
and try to find out how you can get a written confirmation I would think
Holly_Hobby
(3,033 posts)I have no way to look at the plans, except for one provider. I give up. I don't want a policy with a higher deductible anyway, so we're staying with what we have. I'll try again next year, as my husband will be on Medicare by then and I'll be on a plan by myself.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)from the ACA, and knew who the insurer was. Obviously not, and it sounds you have really been messed around.
I had my own observations which were not particularly positive. It had to do with the premium cost. If someone is on the borderline where their modified adjusted gross income is just slightly over the limit to qualify for a subsidy, and you are over 55, the premium is quite substantial.
Of course a lot depends where you live, but if you have two people who are in their sixties, and their modified adjusted gross is slightly over 63K a year, total premiums for the silver plan, would be around 1500 a month. That is 18K a year. The Bronze plan would be about 1200 a month or 14.4K a year.
Now if the income was 62K instead of 63K, it would qualify for the subsidy, and the silver plan would be around 500 month, while the Bronze plan about 150 a month.
For a 1000 dollar difference in income that is quite a difference.
In my personal case, I will be losing my job at the end of December, and unsubsidized COBRA will be cheaper than the ACA premiums.
Yes, the ACA has the opportunity to help a lot of people, but a lot of people will not be helped, and actually might impact them negatively.
This is why we need single payer for everyone, but in this environment right now, the ACA is the best they could do
Holly_Hobby
(3,033 posts)The problem is the website. I was finally able to log in to our account last week, which was set up I believe in August, it asked for the application number, which I didn't have, because I've never received even one email from them. So once again I called them, they gave me the application number, I entered into the website and it said: "You have tried too many times. Wait 24 hours and try again."
I don't know how I tried too many times, it was my first time! So I waited 3 days and tried again - same error message. Another phone call, and I was told to just keep waiting.
I also have an income problem - no one can tell me how to arrive at the AGI, because my husband gets SS Disability and we don't know how much is taxable. It's a disaster for some people. In our instance, our income will drop by 55% in 2014 because we spent our annuity on healthcare premiums and it's gone!
Like I said...I give up until next year. I doubt it will ever be able to help us because the plan we have is awesome. But it did drop from $1,211/month in 2011 and 2012 to $768 this year due to the new law about spending a certain amount on healthcare vs. administrative costs. So I am grateful to the ACA for that.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)Tanuki
(16,507 posts)Bravo, Holly! But if your husband is on SSI, wouldn't he qualify for Medicare anyway?
Holly_Hobby
(3,033 posts)My husband will be eligible for Medicare in Sept., 2014, so I'll need my own policy. If I keep what we have, there's no savings for dropping him off, and Medicare is about $105/month. So I'll try the ACA again next year.
If our premiums hadn't dropped, we would be without insurance.
diabeticman
(3,121 posts)to fully enroll yet. Keeps asking her the same questions and kicking her out of the system BUT you make complaints here and you are branded a troll.
You aren't alone.
Why they didn't have experts working on this website before day one of enrollment is far beyond me.
But don't take my words because others here will tell you we are trolls we just happen to be liberal independents NOT democrats
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)working for you Bypass it
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/alternatives-healthcare-gov-obamacare-website_n_4109749.html
diabeticman
(3,121 posts)online she had to finish it online.
She has called 3 times and was told If you start an Application you have to finish it online. She was told to get an new e-mail address erase the old application and start with a new one. She has been trying to enroll in a plan that is cheap enough for us to make monthly payments on for about a week and a half.
We have typed in our zip code to find a broker or whatever they are called to help us and the it seems the nearest one to us is either in Youngstown Ohio or Pittsburgh. There is nothing near our town. She would drive to Sharon if she had too but she isn't going to another state or driving an hour away.
We do not have a printer and probably won't be able to get one until Feburary. We shouldn't have this much difficulty signing up.
lostincalifornia
(5,520 posts)Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Okay, we managed to get it fixed by CHANGING the amounts that we were reporting as income for 2014. The issue was that my adult daughter lives and works with us but does not earn enough money to kick her over what would (in another state) qualify for the expanded Medicaid program. Once we 'adjusted' her income to put her over out of the expanded Medicaid range, the system processed everything error free.
Obviously, one would expect something like this to be picked up in bug testing almost instantly, but there you go.
In any case, now we can see the actual plans available to us. I don't actually understand them, sadly, but it LOOKS like some of them are a pretty good deal.
Demit
(11,238 posts)We're bracing for it.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)In any case, the problem there is not with the website (which seems to be working now that we figured out what was causing the error), but with my knowledge.
What's weird is that the GOLD level plans seem worse than the SILVER plans they are offering us.
Anyway, I think we have figured out that we need a Silver PPO plan rather than an HMO plan (the HMO plan doesn't seem to have any doctors in our area). It would cost us more, but it could still be a good deal. Now my question is...
What's the difference between a multi-state plan and one that isn't?
We travel a LOT on business, so this might matter a great deal.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)than the gold level plan. It's Humana with an 1800/2900 max deductible. (and yes, everyone, I read the fine print, I know what I'm getting into and it's a very good plan).
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)MindMover
(5,016 posts)shed a tear for those 1%ers that won't be getting there 2nd,3rd, and 4th home mortgage check due to Obamacare changing some of those rules ..... BOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)Same kind of mocking insults they've been using since 2008 on various issues. You see it from the admin too. Question something you're told or point out inconvenient realities and the knives come out. What a sad role to play, and an even sadder effect it has. And some wonder why Obama's approval has fallen to the upper 30's, right along with approval for the ACA. Who wants to be on the side of a bunch of arrogant reactionaries who deny reality and demand that you do as well, even if access to healthcare for you and your family hangs in the balance.
Sad.
MindMover
(5,016 posts)Lets count the ways together:
1. In person
2. On the telephone/cell
3. On the internet
4. Fill out a form on paper (OMG) and mail it in
5. Use a state website
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/1022/Obamacare-101-Seven-ways-you-can-sign-up-despite-Web-woes/Pick-up-the-phone
Ohhh, and by the by and by, the deadline is really FEBRUARY 15th of 2014 ....
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)Snarky arrogance and hatred for those being negatively impacted. Good job, you're a great ambassador for the ACA and Obama as well.
Americans have been told by ads, b-list celebs and Democrats, including Obama, to go to the website and hurry because the deadline is soon, so don't blame people for believing what they were being told, blame the people who told them.
Btw, it isn't just the website, but the specs of the plans as well, as I explained just below. Reality.
Ohhh, and by the by and by (?), the official website says deadline is Dec. 23. So you might want to know what the hell you're talking about before you go attacking other people for not playing along that this is some glowing magic oracle that will grant us all unlimited wishes.
Final question, have you signed up for Obamacare? I don't mean placed a plan in your cart, I mean signed up and paid and gotten an insurance card? Do you know anyone who has?
MindMover
(5,016 posts)You sound like a REPUBLICANT ....
This link is where I get my information ... a very well respected Christian website ... Christians do not lie ....
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/1010/Obamacare-101-Why-the-real-deadline-is-Feb.-15-video
and YES, I have several family members who have signed up on the website with no problemo .... I have not asked them if they got there cards yet because that is on the insurance companies and I have said it before and I will say it again, INSURANCE COMPANIES SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN HEALTHCARE ... I personally believe that insurance companies will drag there feet as long as they can before they issue Obamacare cards ...
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)simply because somebody dared to relate a less-than-orgasmic experience with something Obama.
So in reply you're going to call me a repub (shock) and take a swipe at Christians. What next? Let me guess, racist?
How does all that relate in your world?
Blind gullibility is bad enough, but the arrogance in attacking anyone who doesn't sing Obamacare's praises to your liking and hit all the right notes for you on the matter is about as appealing as dog vomit.
Real person experiencing a real problem and you and others jump all over him like he's some fox in your hen house. Yet you claim your disdain for insurance companies while attacking someone having problems with a system that is designed to feed them customers. Please.
MindMover
(5,016 posts)Hissyspit
(45,790 posts)Way to prove poster's point.
MindMover
(5,016 posts)Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)in any plan you're thinking about choosing. My sister, who has struggled with back, neck, and nerve pain for two years now finally found a pain management doctor that is trying new treatments and getting decent results so far. She's on disability insurance right now, but was told they'll re-evaluate her situation in January and likely will drop her. Her only other choice is to go through the exchange, but her new doc is nowhere to be found in the network for any of the plans she has access to.
So look close at the networks, make sure any docs you might want to see, any hospitals you might need to have access to, are covered. The network options I've seen are extremely restrictive.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)A total of about 80 frustrating hours spent on the phone with the call center and trying to get my account established and visible on the website. I still cannot see my information on the website, other than my name, security questions, etc. I was twice told that my applications by phone had gone through, and then one of them got "lost", and with the other one, an error was made, (not by me), and I had to do a third application, once the application was declared done, like you, I was unable to see the plans on the internet. They told me they could not fix that, and refused to send me the plans by mail. And the call center reps could not pull up my plans, except that one of them said he had some plans become available, which I knew were bogus offers because they were way more expensive than the calculators indicated my plans would cost. So I told the call rep this, and he spoke with supervisors, and then came back and said, well, why don't I just take one of the plans he had previously offered? I got really upset at that point
The next day, another call center rep could not pull up my plans, so I asked to speak with a call center supervisor, and after I was on hold for a really long time, she answered and was able to pull up all 78 plans, and told me that the only way I could get insurance was for her to tell me the information about the plans over the phone. So I had to choose a plan without the benefit of being able to read, study, and investigate them in order to determine exactly which one was really best for me.
I was on the phone with the call center for approximately 6 hrs that day. At $20 an hr for my time, and for cell phone bills, and pain and suffering, I figure the subsidies I receive for my premiums will just about cover the expenses for the time that I spent was struggling to get insurance through healtcare.gov
But, frustrated almost to the point of needing therapy, I chose a plan a plan over the phone, and it seems like a good deal. Unfortunately, the insurance company is claiming that Healthcare.gov sent them some wrong information. Healthcare.gov is claiming they sent the correct information. I sent the insurance company a premium payment, and have a policy ID number. But I am not sure if I will be covered on Jan 1, because of this information problem, which the insurance company will not allow me to correct personally, but are saying that Healthcare.gov needs to correct the information and send the corrected information to them. Healthcare.gov says it sent them the correct information in the first place, and that they cannot send them any more information, and that the insurance company has the accurate information and is not "accurately relaying correct information" to me.
Good luck, Demo Chris. I empathize, and sympathize. I can honestly say that I feel your pain. My experience with healthcare.gov was in the top 5 most fucked up things that I have ever experienced in life.
I'm so sorry, but you are not alone, I truly and totally understand.
Are you wondering, right now, if there is collusion going on between healthcare.gov and the insurance companies, collusion intended to insure the insurance companies make the most profit off of you possible?
It may please you to know that I have a really great little recording device for use with my cell phone. It records things very clearly!
Hang in there.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)the error on my personal information.
I am now, according to the insurance company, officially insured with an excellent, very affordable health insurance plan, and coverage will begin on Jan. 1.
Response to Demo_Chris (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Response to darkangel218 (Reply #63)
Name removed Message auto-removed
curlyred
(1,879 posts)but with my knowledge".
spin
(17,493 posts)when he told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of his concern that the roll out of the ACA might be a train wreck. (Ref: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/05/10/affordable-care-act-obamacare-column/2144409/)
On the other hand, I just heard back from an acquaintance in Montana who had applied over the phone for the ACA in October. I had warned her that there was some chance that her application might not have went through. She checked and everything was fine and she will have a health care policy on Jan 1 that will save her and her husband a considerable amount of money over their current plan.
Fortunately I am on a single payer system of heath care. It's called Medicare. I also have a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan. Six months ago I had an operation that required an overnight stay in a cardiac intensive care unit. My total cost including doctor co-pays, diagnostic tests, the surgeons bill, and the hospital bill was ZERO!
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)I have now managed to FIND a policy that seems okay. The website won't actually allow me to purchase it, that part has failed as well (it will, but only if I buy TWO identical policies), but I am grinding on.
spin
(17,493 posts)OKNancy
(41,832 posts)she is filing separately. We put down 2 in our household even though there are three.
She will put "one".
I did a chat before I started the process and the person on the other end said that was fine.
We didn't have any problems. It was really fast.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)The plans offered do not seem correct in terms of their cost or the subsidy our family is apparently entitled to. Here's what happened...
1. We selected a plan that, while expensive, looked pretty good. Well done Obamacare! We went to check out.
2. At the purchase plan stage, it wouldn't allow us to select just ONE of these great plans, it insisted we buy two. We decided we would print everything out then call the insurance company.
3. We print everything out and the website shows one subsidy amount, the printout summary shows a completely different one, and when we call the insurance company they come up with a third that is altogether different. For reference, I went to the Kaiser Calculaor page and it offered yet another. So now we have four, and no one seems to know.
4. On the phone with the insurance company, and they are claiming the lowest subsidy of the bunch.
According to the Kaiser site the tax credit should be just over 9K a year for the family (we earn about 28K combined). According to the printout we would receive about $6900. According to Kaiser, our income would have to be 45K for it to be at that level.
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)walk you through the entire process from beginning to end. You can find places to get that help on the healthcare.gov website or at HRSA.gov. Any Federally funded clinic can help you with your application and can show you ALL the plans. Just put your zip code in and it'll show you the nearest places.
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)DevonRex
(22,541 posts)And this is just clinics. The healthcare.gov site probably has more types of facilities listed. But this is a start. My husband works at HRSA so...
http://www.hrsa.gov/about/news/2013tables/outreachandenrollment/tx.html
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Zorra
(27,670 posts)but they never did. But because I managed to get it done (I hope!) over the phone, I dropped pursuing the navigator avenue.
However, people I know have had some success by going directly to the navigator's offices or clinics in my region.
So if you don't have any luck calling the navigator on the phone to set up an appointment, or whatever, you might try going directly to navigator office or clinic and getting it over with.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)the insurance plans available.
Dark n Stormy Knight
(10,486 posts)people you speak to if you call are nearly useless. Seems they had about 30 minutes training. I am so disappointed that this was handled so poorly.
My husband and I have spend countless hours trying to get health insurance from that site. We may have finally accomplished that. However, there was a story today about the info from those who thought they'd signed up never got to the insurance company they tried to buy from.
It had been three days on Friday and still no contact from the company. We'll call them Monday and see if they have our sign-up info.
Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)hyperbolic statements seem frivolous
Dark n Stormy Knight
(10,486 posts)design and technology, so I have some insight and I stand by my critique, or would back down only as far as to say healthcare.gov is one of the top maybe ten worst. It is that bad.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)There are 3 key dates you'll want to mark on your calendar:
October 1, 2013: Marketplace open enrollment started
January 1, 2014: Health coverage can start
March 31, 2014: Open enrollment ends
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)If you want your insurance to be effective January 1st.
Which, if you are paying for it, only makes sense. That December 23rd deadline was November 15th, then December 15th, now December 23rd, and supposedly the Obama Administration is begging the insurance companies to accept and cover people who sign up even after January 1st.
When I first wrote the OP in this thread it had been 9 hours. On that attempt, since I tried a month ago and never got past account verification. All told I probably put 15 hours into it, and so far nothing. The 800 number from the Obamacare website couldn't make the thing work, and the insurance company couldn't make it work either. We have four wildly different answers as to what kind of tax credit we are entitled to, and until that's resolved I can't sign up for anything.
XRubicon
(2,241 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)Vietnameravet
(1,085 posts)I just went to the site and saw all the plans..the site is very fast and I had no problem at all..
NoOneMan
(4,795 posts)Obamacare, for when checking a box to indicate you have a pulse is just too simplistic.