Back to Obamacare. Now that the government website is fixed (we're told), reality has begun to set in.......... And there's that Law of Unintended Consequences at work again........
Insurers under fire as Obamacare kicks in
New policyholders are having trouble confirming coverage, obtaining ID numbers and getting care.
Insurers say the inability of many people to enroll through HealthCare.gov in October and November, coupled with deadline extensions to get Jan. 1 coverage, created an unexpected bottleneck of applications in late December.
The wave of policy cancellations for millions of Americans this fall added to the upheaval, and industry officials have also complained about lost or delayed delivery of enrollment files from the federal and state exchanges.
Blue Shield of California said it is still getting applications for Jan. 1 coverage from the state exchange.
A spokesman for HealthCare.gov said "we have fixed most of the issues that may impact a consumer's enrollment with a health plan."
In light of the lingering problems, California's exchange extended the payment deadline to Jan. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1, and some insurers across the country have granted even more time.
Many people have taken to social media to vent and seek help from their insurer. Helen Syrpes of Denver was incensed that Anthem posted a photo of a baby in the bathtub to wish customers on its Facebook page "Happy Bubble Bath Day!" and told them it's a great way to reduce stress.
"Please stop posting on your Facebook page about bubble baths, and reply back to your members. Answer your phones, you are CAUSING STRESS," the 36-year-old said on the company's Facebook page.
Syrpes paid to renew her existing coverage and thought she would avoid all the hassles of the healthcare law. But her drugstore had no record of her Anthem plan when she tried getting prescriptions filled a week ago.
Some consumers are demanding partial refunds on January premiums that were paid weeks ago. Jeffrey Morgan, a marketing consultant in Lakewood, said Anthem Blue Cross rejected his refund request after waiting on the phone more than two hours Thursday.
Morgan has paid his January premium of $1,200 for his family's coverage, but the company erroneously sent him a member ID card showing his coverage isn't in effect until March 1.
"I enrolled well before the deadline and paid well before the deadline and I need prescriptions that are critical to my healthcare," Morgan said.
Even insurance agents say they can't get through to the companies to assist their clients.
"This whole law is a gift to insurance companies," said Helena Ruffin, a health insurance agent in Venice. "They owe us good customer service."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-i ... z2q0ynXFvW
Interesting that even an insurance agent views this government plan as a gift to the insurance companies......