Has anyone tried to enroll through the healthcare.gov site yet? Along with its many controversies, the online health care exchange has had a rocky start. The White House has had problems marketing the site and its purpose to the American people with only a small amount of the population having gone to the site to visit it. Even fewer people actually enrolling for insurance using the site. I haven't had a chance to browse through the website since it has officially been opened so I seem to be part of the majority that has not used the site yet.
Recent polls show that almost half of the population that have visited the site have found it difficult to use. Due to technical glitches and software issues, one of the major problems that the online health exchange is facing is its lack of employees to manage the software running the entire operation. Fatigued by political motives, a government shutdown, and poorly tested programs, hope for the health care exchange has diminished while government officials and contractors try and resolve the issues.
Earlier this week it was announced that Health and Human Services brought in Verizon to resolve and improve the performance of healthcare.gov. Hopefully, Verizon is able to solve the websites crashing problem as well. The White House has stated that they are in the process of using companies outside of their current contractors to repair the exchange as soon as possible. We can only hope! What do you think? Will you use the website to enroll soon? Do you think the site can be repaired?
Works Cited:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/21/verizon-hhs-healthcare-site-fix/3144761/
http://www.nytimes.com/news/affordable-care-act/2013/10/21/awareness-grows-of-online-insurance-exchanges-and-their-problems-survey-finds/?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/politics/from-the-start-signs-of-trouble-at-health-portal.html?pagewanted=2
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57608686/report-verizon-called-on-to-improve-healthcare.gov/
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/android-news/245852-patched-google-wallet-verizon-galaxy-s4.html
http://endrtimes.blogspot.com/2012/09/white-house-and-fema-recognize.html
I am not surprised that the government healthcare website had glitches and technical issues and eventually crashed. In regards to implementing new electronic programs, it usually takes some tweaking and adjustments for it to run smoothly. I haven't visited the site (because I already receive healthcare from my employer), but I heard that due to the overwhelming response of people wanting to enroll, the site crashed. So I think many people are trying to take advantage of having affordable healthcare. At my job, whenever we implement new software, there are always issues at first (even after IT has done several test runs), so I believe most electronic processes involve trial and error, and eventually will be up-and-running effectively.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there will be inevitable glitches while the government tries to tweak the system. Being the first of its kind, there will be some trial and error as they try and edit the website to run efficiently for users.
DeleteI expected the website to have many issues when it was rolled out but assumed the government would make more progress to fix it sooner. Even though how much has to go into making the website work, it is kind of sad how big of a mess it has created. I have not personally used the marketplace and have no interest in doing so because I have my own insurance so it doesn't directly impact me so much. However, it is very important for this administration to get this under control before it creates an even bigger mess.
ReplyDeleteI also have absolutely no interest in the site or even visiting it. Even though when all new things arise there will be problems that exist the key is to get them fixed and implemented before it becomes a noticeable problem. That is where they went wrong, and now it is a problem. With all the money that has been used to get this whole project up and running I would of though they could of done a better job than this thus far.
ReplyDeleteI think it is not a big surprise that the website had issue since it is new. I think this will be common with most site, especially governmental site since they are not exactly tech-savvy. I believe Verizon will definitely help solve some issues, but again, being a government site, I am sure even the smallest changes have to be approved through a long approval process. As for actually using the site, I doubt I will since I have my own insurance. It will be interesting to see the progress the site has made in the next month.
ReplyDeleteWell first of all, I don't know of anything the federal government does efficiently. Two government agencies, the DMV and IRS are well known for their customer service and ease of use. Katherine Sebelius and the administration have had three years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act to make sure HealthCare.gov was ready for launch. I do hope they have it up and running as soon as possible. However in the meantime charging penalties on citizens who are unable to comply with the Individual Mandate because of system errors is extremely unfair. This is an example of how one size does not fit all. I do like the idea of an online healthcare marketplace but nothing drives down the price of a product or service like competition in the free marketplace.
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