Obamacare enrollment sees sharp increase in November

[Lief 🗽]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obamacare-increase-20131119,0,6486939.story#axzz2l5OEYWmJ

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Despite constant Republican attempts to sabotage the law, Obamacare is already a huge success and has provided healthcare for hundreds of thousands of people after less than two months. As the federal exchange website continues to improve, the number of enrollees should only increase exponentially.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

This wouldn't be a news story if they got it right on October 1.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Obamacare is working and will work, if the idiots in Congress just stop meddling with it.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

MassHealth saw enrollment rise steeply as the first few months went on too, as I recall. Nobody should have expected that anything other than this would happen.

[jaichind]

What I read is

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/us/politics/administration-open-to-direct-insurance-company-signups.html?_r=0

"The latest evidence detailing the Web site’s troubled startup came amid signs of progress in repairing it. As of mid-November, more than 50,000 people had selected an insurance plan — up from 27,000 in the entire month of October, people working on the project said."

So we are on pace for Nov being around 100,000 selecting an insurance plan vs 27,000 in Oct.  When the goal is 7 million which to be fair includes state based websites as well, this number is still a disaster.  And of course the entire metric of choosing a insurance plan in the shopping cart counts as buying an insurance plan sounds a lot like a single person having a MATCH.COM account means he/she is already married.  The metric is bogus and even with this bogus metric it is a disaster.

Of course

"That is still a fraction of the number the administration had hoped for. And specialists plowing through an initial list of more than 600 software and hardware defects remain worried about whether they can meet the administration’s goal of enabling four in five users to enroll through the online federal exchange, HealthCare.gov, by Nov. 30. One person said a more realistic goal was that four out of five people “have a positive experience,” which could include being redirected to customer service agents."

Tells us that we are likely to blow past the Nov 30th Obama regime deadline of completely working website.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Because unforeseen problems with a [Inks]ing website and poor coding on the part of civil servants are totally the hallmarks of a 'regime'. Give me a break. It's entirely possible that this shouldn't have been so reliant on a website in the first place anyway.

[Mordecai]

It would help if red states stopped mooching off the federal website.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Saw this coming.

[Indy Texas]

Because unforeseen problems with a [Inks]ing website and poor coding on the part of civil servants are totally the hallmarks of a 'regime'. Give me a break. It's entirely possible that this shouldn't have been so reliant on a website in the first place anyway.

IT contractors aren't really civil servants.

But you raise a good point - I know UnitedHealth experimented with selling insurance in person at kiosks in places like malls and grocery stores. Having Healthcare.gov kiosks in places like that in areas where the uninsured rate is especially high could have been a good strategy.

[King]

This wouldn't be a news story if they got it right on October 1.

Have you seen how little it takes to get in the news these days Gramps?

[Indy Texas]

Also, here are a list of the contractors who were responsible for building the website, the exchange and the various other technological components of the ACA.

http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2013/aca-contractors/

I'm seeing some longtime government contractors - Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, SACI - as well as the big private-sector IT consultants - Accenture, IBM.

[Link]

Tells us that we are likely to blow past the Nov 30th Obama regime deadline of completely working website.

If so can you tell us briefly how this affects you.

[Sbane]

And of course the entire metric of choosing a insurance plan in the shopping cart counts as buying an insurance plan sounds a lot like a single person having a MATCH.COM account means he/she is already married.

Well, that is an idiotic thing to say. Would you not say most people who have signed up on the Obamacare website want to get insurance? Of course with all the problems they might have just gotten frustrated and left back in October. They might also be looking for other options, but at the end of the day they will have to choose a plan from the exchange if they want to get insurance. Do you really think a mass of people just won't get insurance to stick it to Obama? Most people don't think like that, not sure if you realize that.

[jaichind]

And of course the entire metric of choosing a insurance plan in the shopping cart counts as buying an insurance plan sounds a lot like a single person having a MATCH.COM account means he/she is already married.

Well, that is an idiotic thing to say. Would you not say most people who have signed up on the Obamacare website want to get insurance? Of course with all the problems they might have just gotten frustrated and left back in October. They might also be looking for other options, but at the end of the day they will have to choose a plan from the exchange if they want to get insurance. Do you really think a mass of people just won't get insurance to stick it to Obama? Most people don't think like that, not sure if you realize that.

Yes.  I hear you.  Here is my logic for arguing that while my analogy might be a bit of an exaggeration it is more apt then one might think.  

First, one has to agree that having it in a shopping cart, like on Amazon.com, is not the same as a buy even if it might indicate intent.  Now, the reason why I used Match.com as the example is even if the intention to buy is there it takes two to tangle.  The user has to click on purchase and unlike Amazon.com and more like Match.com, the insurance company has to process it and accept you as a customer.  Now, of course by law they have to take you but they can reject it if some data fields does not match up.  I have already heard of cases where a buy is done on the Obamacare website but due to some data matching issues the insurance company says that there are still issues and the policy is not purchased.  Knowing the bug infested nature of the Obamacare website there are plenty of cases where even clicking on buy is not a deal, let alone putting into the shopping cart.  In fact one has to click on buy to find out about these data mapping bugs when the insurance company emails you saying the application is not processed due to issues.

Then there is the next step, paying for it.  One reads stuff like

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2c7e6870-5169-11e3-b499-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2l9HVwveP

"An Obama administration official said the "back end" aspects of the faulty federal healthcare exchange, including its accounting and payment system linked to insurance companies, still needed to be built."

So something that HAS to work and work perfectly by Jan 1st for the deal to be final is not built and we are in late Nov.  Again, this is why I use Match.com as the metaphor since it takes two to tangle and both side has to have a payment and then the policy is final.  Just like only a wedding ring finalizes the wedding.  

Like I said, this is like saying having an account on Match.com and having selected a potential mate and then saying you are married.

[jaichind]

Tells us that we are likely to blow past the Nov 30th Obama regime deadline of completely working website.

If so can you tell us briefly how this affects you.

It does not in the short run.  I am interested in the medium run as like I have pointed out, when I retire early in a few years I plan to structure my investments as to capture Obamacare subsidies every year or every other year.   So I am interested in how this goes so I can plan out my early retirement strategy.  In the meantime it is mostly Schadenfreude at this whole Obamacare train wreck and watching with pleasure the political troubles of the Obama regime.

[7,052,770]

You realize that the reason someone would put it in their shopping cart but not "buy" it yet is because they don't want to pay the first month's premium in October/November when it doesn't start until January?

There's really no real-world analogy for that, but that's the reason the vast majority of those people haven't "bought" it yet, and it's appropriate to consider them as Exchange buyers.

[Likely Voter]

There does seem to be a pattern of this working in states with complete support, like here in California, but as I noted in another thread it is going to take at least a year if not longer to really judge if this thing is working. Unfortunately people are going to over react to every single data point.

[jaichind]

You realize that the reason someone would put it in their shopping cart but not "buy" it yet is because they don't want to pay the first month's premium in October/November when it doesn't start until January?

There's really no real-world analogy for that, but that's the reason the vast majority of those people haven't "bought" it yet, and it's appropriate to consider them as Exchange buyers.

That is not my understanding.  All these policies start Jan 2014 and policy is not active until the user pays which is not until Jan 2014.  But the info has to be sent to the insurance policy so they can be registered and inputted into the insurance company's system.  So buy in this case is really "send to insurance company."  I think if the Obama regime defined the metric as "sent to insurance company and all data checked out and email sent from insurance company to user confirming the policy is locked in pending payment which will take place in Jan 2014" then I would feel is a legitimate metric. 

[jaichind]

There does seem to be a pattern of this working in states with complete support, like here in California, but as I noted in another thread it is going to take at least a year if not longer to really judge if this thing is working. Unfortunately people are going to over react to every single data point.

I actually do agree that none of this means the system will actually not work a year or two out.  I can for sure see on the long run this might work although it might suffer from a mild version of adverse selection so it will hit the Federal budget worse than expected which in turn means the subsides will have to be reduced and in turn means the people that benefits from will be less than expected.

So while I agree with you that it might work, even if it works, there will be adverse political impact on the Democratic brand since it will work at lot more losers and a less winner than expected.  So working does not mean Democrats avoid a bloodbath in 2014.  A bloodbath is not assured yet for the Democrats in 2014 but it "working" does not mean they avoid it as it has to be about what state "works" is in.

[Link]

Tell us briefly how this affects you.

It does not in the short run.  I am interested in the medium run as like I have pointed out, when I retire early in a few years I plan to structure my investments as to capture Obamacare subsidies every year or every other year.   So I am interested in how this goes so I can plan out my early retirement strategy.

It's your choice to retire early.  The government is not there to deny people healthcare so you can be lazy.  This has to be one of the weakest and most bizarre reasons anyone has given for any kind of concern about the implementation of Obamacare over the next couple of months.  I see all these talking heads on TV going crazy and fake horror stories on CBS and the interwebs but everyone I talk to in real life is pretty chill.  I haven't even looked at the website.  Just waiting for the dust to settle... like with every tech roll out.

Unlucky PlayStation 4 owners face 'blue light of death'

iPhone 5 wifi issues

Feds open formal probe into Tesla electric car fires

About 15,000 Medtronic devices used in heart procedures are being recalled

Keep in mind those last two are about cars bursting into fire and burning to the ground and peoples hearts stopping and killing them... not 404 errors on your internet machine.

[7,052,770]

You realize that the reason someone would put it in their shopping cart but not "buy" it yet is because they don't want to pay the first month's premium in October/November when it doesn't start until January?

There's really no real-world analogy for that, but that's the reason the vast majority of those people haven't "bought" it yet, and it's appropriate to consider them as Exchange buyers.

That is not my understanding.  All these policies start Jan 2014 and policy is not active until the user pays which is not until Jan 2014.  But the info has to be sent to the insurance policy so they can be registered and inputted into the insurance company's system.  So buy in this case is really "send to insurance company."  I think if the Obama regime defined the metric as "sent to insurance company and all data checked out and email sent from insurance company to user confirming the policy is locked in pending payment which will take place in Jan 2014" then I would feel is a legitimate metric. 

Then your understanding is incorrect.  You aren't "enrolled" until you pay your first bill, whether you pay it in January or pay it early now.  Most people aren't going to do that, seeing as how the Exchange is designed for poor and lower-middle class people who can't do that, so that's why the count is based on who has it "in the cart."

Also, you undermine all of your own credibility by saying the "Obama regime."

[Skill and Chance]

There does seem to be a pattern of this working in states with complete support, like here in California, but as I noted in another thread it is going to take at least a year if not longer to really judge if this thing is working. Unfortunately people are going to over react to every single data point.

I actually do agree that none of this means the system will actually not work a year or two out.  I can for sure see on the long run this might work although it might suffer from a mild version of adverse selection so it will hit the Federal budget worse than expected which in turn means the subsides will have to be reduced and in turn means the people that benefits from will be less than expected.

So while I agree with you that it might work, even if it works, there will be adverse political impact on the Democratic brand since it will work at lot more losers and a less winner than expected.  So working does not mean Democrats avoid a bloodbath in 2014.  A bloodbath is not assured yet for the Democrats in 2014 but it "working" does not mean they avoid it as it has to be about what state "works" is in.

Yes, but if anything these new data suggest that this could easily blow over as quickly as the shutdown did for the GOP.

[badgate]

Unlucky PlayStation 4 owners face 'blue light of death'

iPhone 5 wifi issues

Feds open formal probe into Tesla electric car fires

About 15,000 Medtronic devices used in heart procedures are being recalled

Keep in mind those last two are about cars bursting into fire and burning to the ground and peoples hearts stopping and killing them... not 404 errors on your internet machine.

Even bigger than the iPhone 5 wifi issue was the iPhone 4 antenna controversy. My favorite part was Steve Jobs indignantly replying to one email with "You're not holding the phone right." They had to give everybody free phone cases for months!

[Landslide Lyndon]

Also, you undermine all of your own credibility by saying the "Obama regime."

He can't undermine something he never had.

[Indy Texas]

Tells us that we are likely to blow past the Nov 30th Obama regime deadline of completely working website.

If so can you tell us briefly how this affects you.

It does not in the short run.  I am interested in the medium run as like I have pointed out, when I retire early in a few years I plan to structure my investments as to capture Obamacare subsidies every year or every other year.   So I am interested in how this goes so I can plan out my early retirement strategy.  In the meantime it is mostly Schadenfreude at this whole Obamacare train wreck and watching with pleasure the political troubles of the Obama regime.

...when you retire you're going to have this evil socialized healthcare program called Medicare and you never have to deal with a private insurance company again if you choose not to. If you're wealthy enough to retire early, you're not going to be able to get a subsidy. You're going to fail every means test they could throw at you.