Health-law website is faster but still buggy
White House trumpets improvements but says more needs to be done
The Obama administration this weekend touted technical fixes that will allow the health-insurancemarket place website to accommodate more than 800,000 visitors each day seeking to purchase coverage.
But although the repairs should allow more people to avoid the glitches and delays that prevented most users from browsing for insurance options, federal officials acknowledge that more fixes are needed before the website will offer a seamless experience.
A small handful of Arizonans who have attempted to access the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace website before and after the upgrades to software and hardware said they had mixed results. Two people told The Arizona Re
public on Monday that they now can navigate the site more freely, but they still stalled because the site received information incorrectly or could not verify identity. A third person couldn’t access the site at all.
The clock is ticking for Arizonans who have repeatedly been frustrated by delays and error messages since Healthcare .gov launched Oct. 1. People who want health insurance to start Jan. 1 must sign up by Dec. 23. The enrollment deadline for 2014 is March 31.
The Obama administration anticipates a surge of shoppers this month as people attempt to secure coverage. Arizona is one of 36 states on the federal government-run exchange. Enrollment has been smoother in most states that operate their own exchanges, though Oregon and Hawaii had rocky starts.
Jeffrey Zients, the Obama administration official appointed to fix the website, described the marketplace’s improvement as “night and day” compared with its initial launch.
The website can now accommodate 50,000 users simultaneously and more than 800,000 users over a day with fewer error messages and fasterloading pages, Zients said in a conference call with reporters Sunday.
In late October, the website had an average response time of 8 seconds per request. That improved to less than one second over the weekend, Zients said.
“The site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity at greatly improved performance,” Zients said.
The federal marketplace started at a glacial pace. During its first month, fewer than 27,000 people selected a health plan; in Arizona, just 739 enrolled.
Federal officials stressed that consumers eligible for subsidized health insurance could use other methods to apply, such as calling the marketplace’s toll-free number, mailing in paper applications or seeking help from enrollment experts, called navigators.
With the website fixes in place, Arizona groups plan more aggressive outreach to people who may be eligible for subsidies. Enroll America, a private, non-profit grass-roots group, will intensify its outreach over the next three weeks through enrollment fairs and stops at public places, according to Pati Urias, communications lead for Enroll America in Arizona.
“It’s going to be a busy time between now and the 23rd,” Urias said.
But will the website fixes give Arizona residents a better shopping experience?
Dwayne Witten, 64, of Phoenix, on Monday decided to log on from his Phoenix home. Since Oct. 1, he has logged onto the marketplace several times and talked to operators and their supervisors over the toll-free number.
But nobody has been able to resolve his problem. The marketplace hasn’t been able to verify his identity — a common complaint among users nationwide.
He established a profile and provided all appropriate information. He mailed documents to the marketplace on Oct. 27 but does not know if anyone processed the paperwork.
He even confirmed his identity with credit bureau Experian, which provides third-party verification services for the marketplace.
But when he connected to the website Monday afternoon, he received the same message: Identity verification pending.
Witten said his existing health-insurance plan charges a high deductible and makes him order his prescriptions from a Canadian pharmacy. He’d like to replace his coverage with a marketplace plan, but he may stick with his existing plan until he’s eligible for Medicare.
“It’s at the point where I’m stuck,” Witten said. “I literally can’t do anything. If I could get ahold of somebody who would just delete my account, I would do that and just
Dwayne
start over.”
Waiting for answers
Elizabeth Arant, 31, was among the flood of users who visited healthcare.gov on Oct. 1. Arant, of Scottsdale, has tried dozens of times day and night to sign up for coverage, without success.
She made small strides in her attempts. She set up a profile and provided some personal information to identify herself, but she noticed the federal website stored her Social Security number incorrectly, and she has been unable to correct it.
She attempted again on Monday to access the site to request a fix, but she was unable to connect, she said. Arant, a nursingeducation student, believes she may qualify for Medicaid. Arizona will expand Medicaid coverage for individuals up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level — or $15,282 for an individual.
When Arant was unable to enroll through healthcare.gov, she switched tactics and applied directly to Arizona’s Medicaid program, which is taking applications through the website www.healthearizona plus.gov.
She received a letter that indicated her Medicaid application will be reviewed for coverage beginning next year.
So, Arant doesn’t know whether she’ll be eligible or will need to purchase a plan through healthcare .gov.
But she is certain that she needs health coverage. She has a chronic condition that triggers severe migraines. She now has COBRA coverage through a former employer and spends about $700 per month on insurance and co-payments for drugs and medical care.
“It’s frustrating,” Arant said. “You’re in this holding pattern and you don’t know if or when you’ll get coverage.”
Looking for security
Gary Nelson, 64, of Tempe, has unsuccessfully attempted to get coverage through the federal website about a half-dozen times. He worries that time’s running out to secure health-insurance coverage that will start Jan. 1.