Heeeeeeere's Obamacare!

[Unabogie]

Why would a family of modest means want a high deductible policy in the first place?

Because it's all they can afford? You really don't see that people who can't afford better insurance would go with the best they can? And if you offer them a high risk plan they'll take it if the alternative is nothing at all?

 

[xjx388]

Because it's all they can afford? You really don't see that people who can't afford better insurance would go with the best they can? And if you offer them a high risk plan they'll take it if the alternative is nothing at all?

1. That seems a lot like needing a pair of adult shoes but buying a kid's size because it's cheaper.

2. Don't offer them the plan. They could simply omit the plans from the Marketplace results if their income is under $X.

3. In any other insurance market, the more coverage you need, the more expensive it is. My life insurance is probably much more expensive than most people's.

4. It is entirely possible for the majority of Americans to prioritize healthcare in their budget so that their insurance need is less. If it's not even important enough for people to budget for it then why do we need to mandate it?

 

[balrog666]

1. That seems a lot like needing a pair of adult shoes but buying a kid's size because it's cheaper.

2. Don't offer them the plan. They could simply omit the plans from the Marketplace results if their income is under $X.

3. In any other insurance market, the more coverage you need, the more expensive it is. My life insurance is probably much more expensive than most people's.

4. It is entirely possible for the majority of Americans to prioritize healthcare in their budget so that their insurance need is less. If it's not even important enough for people to budget for it then why do we need to mandate it?

You are confusing the trolls with facts ...

 

[gnome]

I think it's more difficult than you might think, if you mean relying on out-of-pocket purchases instead of insurance for non-catastrophic care.

What would you say would comprise (in terms of care used) a reasonable amount to expect and budget for in a year... for example, how many ER visits, how many check up visits, etc? Not the dollars yet--just what care to expect to need.

 

[eeyore1954]

And it worked in the first two weeks?

You would compare the complexity of Star Wars to the health care website?

 

[Unabogie]

You would compare the complexity of Star Wars to the health care website?

I'm comparing the gnashing of teeth over a few weeks of bug fixes vs the ten years of begging for patience in Iraq, or the decades of begging for patience on SDI.

 

[Unabogie]

You are confusing the trolls with facts ...

Who's a troll?

 

[eeyore1954]

Because it's all they can afford? You really don't see that people who can't afford better insurance would go with the best they can? And if you offer them a high risk plan they'll take it if the alternative is nothing at all?

For people who cannot afford insurance under ACA there is an exception to allow them to purchase catastrophic insurance

 

[Fudbucker]

Some other things that had a less than stellar roll-out:

Invasion of Europe: Let's just say we learned A LOT from N. Africa and Italy (Europe's "soft underbelly" turned out to be not so soft).
Space Program: Stuff literally blew up on the launch pad.
Hubble: Flawed mirror? Seriously?
Medicare: plagued by crises it's entire first year.

And these were all successful massive undertakings that could not/would not have been done by the private sector.

The GOP is, once again, shooting themselves in the foot. What are they going to say when this thing is actually successful, and has millions of families getting cheap insurance? Nobody will remember the roll-out, but they'll remember the GOP's incredible opposition. By Nov. 2014, we may have five million people enrolled in this thing, getting good affordable coverage. They won't all be from blue states...

 

[sir drinks-a-lot]

By Nov. 2014, we may have five million people enrolled in this thing, getting good affordable coverage. They won't all be from blue states...

I'd temper your optimism a bit.

Pretty embarrassing that they can't get a simple website to work, given their resources.

 

[plague311]

I'd temper your optimism a bit.

Pretty embarrassing that they can't get a simple website to work, given their resources.

Had they not been fought tooth and nail every step of the way they would have had more time and resources to get it setup properly. It's tough to build a house when you have people throwing hammers at you.

 

[Newtons Bit]

Had they not been fought tooth and nail every step of the way they would have had more time and resources to get it setup properly. It's tough to build a house when you have people throwing hammers at you.

$400 million and 3 years, 8 months wasn't enough time and resources to get a website operational?

 

[xjx388]

For people who cannot afford insurance under ACA there is an exception to allow them to purchase catastrophic insurance

And I think this is craziness. Only the people who can't really afford to have a catastrophic plan can get one? Why can't I get that catastrophic insurance?

Of course, I think the government's definition of "catastrophic insurance plan," and mine are very different. Indeed, looking at http://www.valuepenguin.com/ppaca/exchanges/tx I can see that the catastrophic plan would cost $589.67 for a $6350 deductible.

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[plague311]

$400 million and 3 years, 8 months wasn't enough time and resources to get a website operational?

Given the fact that it's not, doesn't that questions answer itself?

Furthermore, ticketmaster has been around for how many years? That site still can't handle functioning properly when they're selling tickets for a concert in my home town.

I'm sorry I don't view this as the disgusting blast to the American public that everyone else seems too. It must be the fact that I really don't care. I have a job that provides my benefits. I don't need to complain constantly about how my premiums are going up, because they're not.

 

[Mike!]

Had they not been fought tooth and nail every step of the way they would have had more time and resources to get it setup properly. It's tough to build a house when you have people throwing hammers at you.

Those are no ordinary hammers, they cost $300 a piece. Them's special hammers.

 

[Newtons Bit]

Given the fact that it's not, doesn't that questions answer itself?

No, it doesn't. The basic aspects of the website, like logging in, password recovery, security questions and entering a few questions into a database don't work right. These are things that a college student in web design could be expected to do for a senior project. The fact that CGI couldn't do the simple parts of the website with their $292 million contract is mind boggling.

Throwing more money at the problem would not have helped.

 

[Unabogie]

$400 million and 3 years, 8 months wasn't enough time and resources to get a website operational?

That number you keep throwing out doesn't seem reasonable. Obviously, the money was used on more than the website. There are dozens of data sources that needed interfaces. From what I've read, old legacy databases, like those needed in order to connect up users, IRS data, health insurance companies, and state regulations, all required different teams.

I'd temper your optimism a bit.

Pretty embarrassing that they can't get a simple website to work, given their resources.

Under what criteria is a health exchange that covers 36 states, each with their own laws and regulations, each with their own set of insurance companies, ALL of whom are run by people who are hostile to the process (or else they'd have set up their own exchange) "simple"?

 

[plague311]

No, it doesn't. The basic aspects of the website, like logging in, password recovery, security questions and entering a few questions into a database don't work right. These are things that a college student in web design could be expected to do for a senior project. The fact that CGI couldn't do the simple parts of the website with their $292 million contract is mind boggling.

Throwing more money at the problem would not have helped.

Yeah, it sucks. I agree that it is a pain in the ass that the website isn't working, but they'll get it up and running before too long. Then there will be no more problems.

Like I said, I don't see this as some unbelievable tragedy that requires the entire law to go down in flames. The old system was just as broke, website aside.

Maybe some of you were fine, but that's the weird thing, the world doesn't revolve around you.

 

[Biscuit]

$400 million and 3 years, 8 months wasn't enough time and resources to get a website operational?

Half way through the project to build a porthole to state set up exchanges the SCOTUS informed the administration that they couldn't force the states to set up their own exchanges. Now a simple porthole had to become an exchange itself.

Had republican governors acted in the best interest of their constituents and not tried to sabotage the ACA we wouldn't have this problem.

It's the equivalent of hiring a contractor to hang 50 doors and at the last minute informing him he has to build 35 of the bedrooms too.

 

[sir drinks-a-lot]

That number you keep throwing out doesn't seem reasonable. Obviously, the money was used on more than the website. There are dozens of data sources that needed interfaces. From what I've read, old legacy databases, like those needed in order to connect up users, IRS data, health insurance companies, and state regulations, all required different teams.



Under what criteria is a health exchange that covers 36 states, each with their own laws and regulations, each with their own set of insurance companies, ALL of whom are run by people who are hostile to the process (or else they'd have set up their own exchange) "simple"?

They're not really solving any new or interesting technical problems, they've had plenty of time, and it really isn't that complicated. I've worked on many much more complicated rollouts in the private sector.

People couldn't even create accounts and log in. That is basic stuff.