General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDeadlines are dangerous.
The White House has moved up the penalty date for acquiring health coverage an extra six week - until the end of March.
But what happens if the system is still not working at that time?
Personally, I think it will take years to get this system working properly. Setting deadlines just a few months out only sets up the program for more criticism.
So what should be done?
In my opinion, the White House should state emphatically that the ACA is the law of the land and that it will be fixed when it is fixed, even if it takes years. And they refuse to play the "deadline" games of the Republicans, whose only intention is to destroy the program.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)of it. What matters is near the end, that's when people start enrolling in serious numbers.
They just need to get the technical issues fixed before the deadlines are on the horizon.
March 31 is a long, long ways away.
kentuck
(111,104 posts)It is difficult to predict human behavior.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)happened right before the deadline.
kentuck
(111,104 posts)in order to make it cost effective? Will they even come close?
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Enrollment numbers don't matter until December 1 at the very earliest.
Note that in Kentucky, about 1000 people a day are enrolling. Pro-rate that out over 6 months . . .
kentuck
(111,104 posts)And Kentucky is doing very well. But Kentucky is a state with a lot of poor people that qualify for the Medicaid subsidies and many pay nothing. But, it is my understanding, that that is the purpose of the program, to offer coverage for those that have none. Most of the complaints seem to be coming from folks that already have insurance coverage and are seeing increases in their co-pays and deductibles?
I think it will succeed but that it will take much longer than the March deadline. I hope I am wrong.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)pay more because their junk insurance plans are no longer allowed. I think a lot of people don't realize just how crappy their employer-based programs are. I've yet to see any plan from AETNA that wasn't absolute trash.
Deadlines exist for a reason--they motivate people to get stuff done.
I think you'll see an increase in enrollments/registrations between December 1 and December 15, and a bigger one towards the end of January.
kentuck
(111,104 posts)They want to make profits and not pay anything out. Most are junk with high deductibles.
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)no matter what and if ACA website not 100%, then you must extend the deadline. ACA is the law of the land...republicans will say what they will for whatever reasons. Doesn't matter, what matters is getting the situation resolved and the GOp will fall into the trap of supporting fixing the website and supporting the ACA.
BluegrassStateBlues
(881 posts)If you fiddle with the website long enough, you'll get through.
Sitting down for 15 minutes, then giving up, is lazy.
There's also the *GASP* old-fashioned option of filling out forms manually or calling the 1-800 number.
kentuck
(111,104 posts)But how many times do they hit "Reload" during that 15 minutes. The Internet generation is very, very impatient. The "old-fashioned" way may be the only way to fix it?
BluegrassStateBlues
(881 posts)But the "old-fashioned" way should be the way forward until they work out the bugs, which I'm predicting will be resolved within 2-3 weeks.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)gets exchanged with insurance companies needs to be ironed out.