Has anyone managed to enroll on healthcare.gov or your state's exchange?

[Paul der Krake]

I've been trying repeatedly since it opened at 8am yesterday. The closest I got to creating an account for coverage in NC was getting to the page with security questions, except the drop down list was empty, preventing the account creation.

Obviously there are millions online trying to do exactly the same thing and I'm sure the team in charge is working around the clock to fix issues.

Can't find news coverage with definite answers either, they keep using the same imprecise language, "many people", "glitches". Argh.

[Sparafusile]

You see this sort of thing in the software industry all the time. Companies can universally be depended on to underestimate the initial demand of a new platform on release day. The good news is, after a day or three, demand will lessen and you'll be able to get in just fine.

The technical details: Initial demand of a new software platform can often be 10x the demand at any other time. Provisioning servers and other resources is quite expensive, and is in fact that main expense of running an online software service. It would be bad business to over-provision 10x the estimated number of servers for just the initial rush. The business may go bankrupt from the expense - especially if the service turns out not to be as popular as expected. We should see this start to die off as more and more companies move their software service into the cloud and start using the infrastructures provided by Amazon or Microsoft for elastic load balancing.

[TrulyStashin]

Possibly helpful in understanding the issue:  http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/10/02/228220325/tech-problems-plague-first-day-of-health-exchange-rollout

There is also a difference in quality level between the states that opted to run their own exchange and worked aggressively to set it up, and states that opted not to create an exchange (such as NC).  http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/02/228249901/obamacare-day-one-a-tale-of-two-states

[Random]

I am confused.  Americans don't want Obamacare and the initial demand swamped the servers.  This seems like a contradiction.  Though not the first time rhetoric has been contradicted by evidence.

[randymarsh]

I haven't been able to get past the (blank) security questions. I probably should just wait a week or so since I don't actually need to use the exchange, give other people the chance. But I'm very curious to see what kind of prices are available for a healthy 21 one year old.

[nawhite]

In Colorado, I couldn't create an account, but they still could show me plans based on a bare bones question set. The good news is that similar insurance to what I have now will cost about $50-$100 less in premiums per month for me. #pleasantlysurprised

[dorkus619]

I am confused.  Americans don't want Obamacare and the initial demand swamped the servers.  This seems like a contradiction.  Though not the first time rhetoric has been contradicted by evidence.

My guess is that many Americans are scared/skeptical and that's why they said they don't want it. Or they really don't want it. My hypothesis about the swamped servers and high traffic is that everyone's curious! I know I am. I want to know how "affordable" is really is. Because pre-Obamacare, my health insurance HAS BEEN affordable. I think many Americans would realize the same if they did a break down of their budgets income AND expenses. Health should be a priority. Food and Shelter should be priorities.

Car payments with crazy interest, gas guzzling trucks and v6 sports/luxury cars/SUVs, Cable/Satellite TV, and unlimited data smart phones are NOT priorities, but many Americans believe they are necessities. That's why health care is sometimes seen as "expensive" People are willing to spend $ for television but not on their health? duh

[hybrid]

You see this sort of thing in the software industry all the time.

Same thing happened recently with Apple IOS 7.  I say give it a week and if it is still an issue then someone's got some 'splaining to do....

But yeah, conjecture and results don't always josh as another poster noted.  New iPhones were supposed to sell about 6 million units on weekend 1, they were overpriced, people don't really want the 5c(heap), etc.

9 million units later....

[Cline3]

I am confused.  Americans don't want Obamacare and the initial demand swamped the servers.  This seems like a contradiction.  Though not the first time rhetoric has been contradicted by evidence.

  Wrong, I don't want the ACA but I do want health coverage.  I have paid for my own for 20 years now I want to know what my options are.  There are apparently no options other than ACA approved plans.   I'm also pretty sure most people on the websites are people like me.  If you haven't ever paid for insurance or couldn't get it. Companies are out there seeking you out so they can get the new commissions on this.

[Paul der Krake]

Please y'all, let's keep it on topic. Whether you agree with the law or not is irrelevant and already discussed elsewhere on this very forum.

Fortunately we/they have 3 months to get it work, so I will be trying in a few days. They don't seem to be using any of the major cloud providers (judging from a quick traceroute), so I can only assume they are scrambling to provision more servers as we speak.

[DebtDerp]

Oregon is doing a good job with their roll out. They have restricted enrollment, as of the first, to Insurance Agents and Community Partners who will have access to the site. They aren't going to open online enrollment to the general public until the 15th, we'll see then how the website will handle it. I think they did a smart thing though, with a sort of soft launch. Plus this format directs people to agents who are able to better explain options than an individual just searching through the online database.

[gimp]

You see this sort of thing in the software industry all the time. Companies can universally be depended on to underestimate the initial demand of a new platform on release day. The good news is, after a day or three, demand will lessen and you'll be able to get in just fine.

The technical details: Initial demand of a new software platform can often be 10x the demand at any other time. Provisioning servers and other resources is quite expensive, and is in fact that main expense of running an online software service. It would be bad business to over-provision 10x the estimated number of servers for just the initial rush. The business may go bankrupt from the expense - especially if the service turns out not to be as popular as expected. We should see this start to die off as more and more companies move their software service into the cloud and start using the infrastructures provided by Amazon or Microsoft for elastic load balancing.

EC2 and similar ROCK for this! On-the-fly resource allocation, or simply renting an extra 10x instances for a day.

Do you use EC2 at all? I'm considering switching a server to them.

[rving-carol]

I managed to register with the Nevada exchange but then the site kept saying my address was incorrect when they tried to verify my identity. I'll try again in a week.
I'll be able to qualify for medicaid. I'm 59 and currently without insurance so I am looking forward to going to the doctors the first week in January.

[RootofGood]

Paul, I'm also in NC.  I tried registering yesterday and after a couple failed attempts, I got all the way to them emailing me a link to verify my email address and authorize my account.  After clicking the link to verify account, it eventually said I waited too long to verify (like 5 minutes??).  So I figured things weren't working correctly and I gave up. 

If the online sign up is available 24/7, you might try logging in late at night like 11 pm when the server demand is much lower.  I want to see what rates will be too, but won't sign up most likely.  I figure I'll be helping friends and family navigate the system so I'd like to have an idea of what is available and how it works.  I'll give it a shot in a few days. 

[Paul der Krake]

I was able to get in early this morning and completed most of the 'pre-screen' (verify identity, income stuff). Unfortunately the form to upload immigration documents is still borked, and they won't let me take a look at the actual plans until they can verify that.

Argh.

[footenote]

I am having no problems navigating our state's site (MNSure). The only reason I haven't signed up yet is that we have 66 Silver options (alone!) to research.

MNSure's provider search function isn't up yet. But that's not a huge issue since I can easily check online to see which insurers our current clinic accepts. And I'm in no rush since we have two months in which to sign up.

(Research so far: if we opt for the highest ($13,000.) deductible, the cheapest Silver plan for the two of us would save us over $6,500. in premiums annually vs current COBRA payments.)

[mpbaker22]

I am confused.  Americans don't want Obamacare and the initial demand swamped the servers.  This seems like a contradiction.  Though not the first time rhetoric has been contradicted by evidence.

That's a poorly formed argument.  I have employer paid health insurance, but I was on the site out of curiosity.  I imagine other people are the same, which is what's causing the problem.

Ehealthinsurance shows my insurance rate going up 240% with obamacare, btw, so if you want to talk about evidence ...

[brewer12345]

I tried to get into Colorado's site for a couple of days without success.  This morning I noticed they seem to have added functionality taht allows you to see plan options without logging in, including the ability to see things with subsidies/cost sharing.  I was able to look at the options available and have preliminarily picked out a silver plan that is pretty inexpensive.  Have to do some research on Kaiser, since I have not been in an HMO in over a decade.  They do get high marks from independent benchmark reviews, though.

[randymarsh]

I was finally able to sign up and see what the numbers look like.

State: OH
Sex: Male
Age:21
Smoking: Non-smoker
Subsidy: None

Prices range from $145 for a catastrophic plan to $424 for a gold plan. No platinum plans are available.

A bronze for $205 has a $5,000 deductible and $6,350 out of pocket max.

A silver for $237 has as $3,000 deductible and $3,000 out of pocket max.

A gold plan for $265 has a $1,000 deductible and $1,500 max out of pocket costs. It includes dental. If I lose the dental it goes to $251.

What's interesting is that the highest priced gold plan at $424 still has max out of pocket costs $6,350 but in exchange you have a low $250 deductible. I believe MMM touched on this during one his insurance posts how you end up paying out the ass for the assurance that insurance will start picking up most of medical costs very quickly because of a low deductible.

I checked out ehealthinsurance a few months ago and the plans were cheaper. I believe the cheapest was around $80. However, it had a much higher out of pocket max (10-15K I believe) and there were no included doctor visits, I believe you get 3 per year now.

[NumberJohnny5]

I was very frustrated when it wouldn't let me see plans unless I sign up for an account. It directs me to the Kaiser calculator, which has most of the numbers based on one or two possible type of plans. And even then it's just estimates.

I want to see what our family's options would be (easy enough, sign up...but am I allowed to even if I don't have to have a plan at the moment, i.e. I'm not living in the US?). I also want to see what my mom's options are. I know her circumstances (age, location, income, non-smoker, etc.). I'd like to dive into the options, and present it in a condensed version for her, "Mom, you can get plan A which costs a bit more, but it has a much lower maximum out of pocket; or plan B which costs a bit less, but you'll need to have X saved up as the max out of pocket is higher." She also has the chance of continuing COBRA until the exchanges come into affect, but she doesn't have to; so she'd want to know some numbers and what-not if she goes without insurance for the next few months, or if she does the COBRA thing and transitions to one of these new health plans. She has until the end of this month to decide, so maybe some more information will become available.

[kevin78]

I have not been able to enroll.  Same problem as everyone else.  Can't even register.

I find it funny when people say that they don't want obamacare yet the demand on the servers is crazy.  Since there is an individual mandate whether or not we want it is irrelevant.  Putting it another way, if you are required to purchase it, of course you want to see how much it will cost.

[Paul der Krake]

@thefinancialstudent: those numbers are disapointing. :(

There is no estimate for them on the Kaiser calculator, but I was hoping the catastrophic plans would be around $50. 3 doctor visits per year doesn't exactly sound catastrophic to me. All I want is something that guarantees that should something life threatening happen to me, I would only be out of pocket up until X (around 6 grand it seems) without worrying about coinsurance and out of network clusterfucks that automagically decide that you are in fact no covered for whatever procedure 3 months after the fact. As a super healthy young invincible, "free" doctor visits are of little to no value to me.

Currently in NC you can purchase a super high deductible plan for around $40, but it's absolutely not clear at all what happens if you end up in the hospital with a million dollar bill and need expert eyes to navigate the maze of coinsurance options. My absolute favorite thing about the ACA is how it puts a hard limit to the maximum out of pocket amount you could ever reach.

[Daleth]

My absolute favorite thing about the ACA is how it puts a hard limit to the maximum out of pocket amount you could ever reach.

My other two favorite things are (1) how it makes insurance available to people with pre-existing conditions, and (2) how it eliminated the "lifetime maximum" that insurance policies used to have--as in "Oops, you had a million-dollar health crisis, sorry, no more coverage for you!" That can't happen under Obamacare/the ACA.

Oh wait, and my other favorite thing is how it makes affordable insurance available to anyone, so nobody needs to stick with a job they hate/a job with limited financial horizons anymore just because that job gives them health insurance.

[Cline3]

My absolute favorite thing about the ACA is how it puts a hard limit to the maximum out of pocket amount you could ever reach.

My other two favorite things are (1) how it makes insurance available to people with pre-existing conditions, and (2) how it eliminated the "lifetime maximum" that insurance policies used to have--as in "Oops, you had a million-dollar health crisis, sorry, no more coverage for you!" That can't happen under Obamacare/the ACA.

Oh wait, and my other favorite thing is how it makes affordable insurance available to anyone, so nobody needs to stick with a job they hate/a job with limited financial horizons anymore just because that job gives them health insurance.

It is not affordable to everyone.  The annual Premium Tax credits and Subsidies are not dependent on age so people in there 50's can end up paying one third of their income in premium and deductibles.  Go to one of the premium calculators and you can verify this.

[chasesfish]

If this is like their student loan website, it'll probably cause the user to have a stroke trying to figure out how to use it

[grantmeaname]

If this is like their student loan website, it'll probably cause the user to have a stroke trying to figure out how to use it

That's why healthcare costs are increasing!

[footenote]

My absolute favorite thing about the ACA is how it puts a hard limit to the maximum out of pocket amount you could ever reach.

My other two favorite things are (1) how it makes insurance available to people with pre-existing conditions, and (2) how it eliminated the "lifetime maximum" that insurance policies used to have--as in "Oops, you had a million-dollar health crisis, sorry, no more coverage for you!" That can't happen under Obamacare/the ACA.

Oh wait, and my other favorite thing is how it makes affordable insurance available to anyone, so nobody needs to stick with a job they hate/a job with limited financial horizons anymore just because that job gives them health insurance.

+1
I'm predicting a higher than usual number of startups in 2014-2015 as people formerly stuck in corporate life for the healthcare realize they are free to live their entrepreneurial dreams.

For our household, depending on which plan / deductibles end up being best for us, DH (62) and I (55) will save as much as $6,000. / yr in premiums for 2014. (No subsidy included.)

[Daleth]

My absolute favorite thing about the ACA is how it puts a hard limit to the maximum out of pocket amount you could ever reach.

My other two favorite things are (1) how it makes insurance available to people with pre-existing conditions, and (2) how it eliminated the "lifetime maximum" that insurance policies used to have--as in "Oops, you had a million-dollar health crisis, sorry, no more coverage for you!" That can't happen under Obamacare/the ACA.

Oh wait, and my other favorite thing is how it makes affordable insurance available to anyone, so nobody needs to stick with a job they hate/a job with limited financial horizons anymore just because that job gives them health insurance.

It is not affordable to everyone.  The annual Premium Tax credits and Subsidies are not dependent on age so people in there 50's can end up paying one third of their income in premium and deductibles.  Go to one of the premium calculators and you can verify this.

They could, if they had a medical catastrophe--but that's still far better than having NO insurance that you could possibly afford and having a health problem wipe out your life's savings. As someone whose father-in-law stopped having insurance because his policy--the best he could find--cost $1500+/month (and that was just to cover him, not his wife--and it was just the premiums, not premiums + deductible), I want to buy Obamacare a cake and throw a party for it.

[nawhite]

Have to do some research on Kaiser, since I have not been in an HMO in over a decade.  They do get high marks from independent benchmark reviews, though.

I've been a moderately happy Kaiser of Colorado customer for 2 years. I've only gone in for preventative stuff (1x per year) in that time and my only cost was $15 for a cholesterol blood test.

My wife on the other hand has a condition which requires lots of off label usage of medication (think like how viagra can be prescribed as preventative medication for those at risk of heart attack in addition to what it is marketed for). Unfortunately many insurance companies make it ridiculously hard to get prescriptions for off label use. At Kaiser, she saw a Kaiser Specialist who prescribed it ("oh you're on X for Y condition and it is working for you? Sounds good to me, lets keep it that way") and then the Specialist called the prescription side of the house and said "give her an exemption" and it was so. No effort on our part at all.

They also have a very good online interface to talk to your doctor and view test results.

[cdub]

I haven't been able to get past the (blank) security questions. I probably should just wait a week or so since I don't actually need to use the exchange, give other people the chance. But I'm very curious to see what kind of prices are available for a healthy 21 one year old.

This is a big flaw with the healthcare.gov site - not being able to see prices without registering.

I'm able to preview plans just fine on the CoveredCA site....

For my family of 5 it'll be anywhere between $765 to $1200 depending on which level... silver to platinum. (I don't want to do bronze)

I unfortunately make too much for subsidies... of all the problems to have.

So all in all ALOT cheaper than COBRA.