...and the (Obamacare) nightmare continues

Time for an update to my quest for health insurance under Obamacare:

As of January first 2014 my family is uninsured. After talking to and corresponding with numerous people in the department of health and human services (HHS), it appears the federal government simply has no mechanism for forwarding healthcare application information to the state of Arizona. The fact that I had successfully completed an application at www.healthcare.gov on 21 November 2013 doesn't matter. The system is not broken - it doesn't even exist.

Finally, on January 5th, I managed to complete the application process again, this time directly through the state of Arizona. Within a few minutes I received a status update. Myself and 2 other family members "Potentially eligible for advanced premium Tax Credit - Application Transferred to www.healthcare.gov. Really?!? So...the feds have no mechanism to transfer this information to Arizona, but Arizona can transfer the application back to the feds??? My oldest daughter, 19, was "Potentially eligible for AHCCCS (Arizona Heal Care Cost Containment System) Medical assistance Effective January 2014." So...now i may be able to (eventually) buy health insurance for my family through the marketplace, but not for my eldest daughter as she may be eligible for medicaid? Emailed my "favorite"  HHS caseworker (again) along with a screenshot of the summary. Not much of a response there. Not surprised at this point.

January 5th:

January 6th - updated status (((?))):

A day later I checked the Arizona site for updates and found all 4 of us listed as "AHCCCS Medical Assistance Effective January 2014 - Decision Pending Review" and listed the program as sliding scale fee 143%. I called the people at  AHCCCS and after only an hour and a half on hold, was able to speak to a person. The operator was trying to be optimistic and helpful, but was not able to answer any of my questions. Why is it I can complete the application process and your system won't let me verify my account using my information? Are you really able to forward the application to the federal website? Why did the status change from may be eligible for tax credit to AHCCCS effective January 2014? What do you mean a decision could take up to 45 days? What does the status change mean? I specifically requested electronic communication in my preferences, what do you mean you mailed a letter? After not being able to tell me anything meaningful she transferred the call to a level 3 agent.

After only about another 20 minutes on hold I got to speak to the level 3. Again, not a single meaningful answer to be had. So, after very close to 2 hours on hold to speak with level 2 and level 3 specialists, the only 2 things that I am quite clear on is that the healthcare.gov web site cannot transfer data to Arizona and that Arizona can take up to 45 days to make a decision.

Even tried writing my congressman, Ron Barber. the only response from his office has evidently been to add me to his bulk mailing list even though I requested to not receive those emails. Mr Barber and his staff may not remember my email, but rest assured, my family and I will remember the complete and utter lack of response when he is up for election again.

On the bright side - I just made my last 2013 healthcare insurance premium payment a few days ago. But while I'll see more money on each paycheck starting in late January I've still got a family of 4 with no healthcare insurance.

~Happy New Year~

Open letter to the President

 I was excited about the new healthcare reform. Finally, a reasonably affordable way to get insurance! No more having to rely on an employer to ensure healthcare insurance, an end to the (downright evil) mini-med plans some employers were forcing on the workers! Unfortunately, my experience to date has been far less than positive. As things stand now, my family will be uninsured come January 1st since we "may" qualify for Medicaid; as such, we cannot purchase insurance through the marketplace nor can we afford to purchase it privately.

Below is my second letter to the President of the United States on 26 December, 2013. Well, this is what it should've looked like, before editing it to meet www.whitehouse.gov/contact's 2,500 character cap:


To whom it may concern;

 I have a problem with the marketplace process. I managed to successfully submit application ID#XXX666XXX on 21 November 2013 for my family of four. The web site told me that the state agency "would contact" me. Nope, Never happened. Evidently not going to, either.

 On 5 December I made the first of several attempts to get information - on the marketplace web site chat system. From my experience, every one of the "support people" on the marketplace chat system either knows nothing, or cannot provide simple information that actually supports the process. Finally, on 20 December, I emailed my congressman, the President and the Vice President with regards to this situation.
I was astounded when I received a call from Kendra, a Dept. of Health and Human Services caseworker on Sunday, 22 December. This was followed up by a call on the morning of 24 December from caseworker Maria, who said she would try to get to the bottom of this. Early this afternoon (26 December) I received a call from another HHS worker named Brian. He advised that "expediting" this matter would require submitting an application directly through the healthearizonaplus.gov web site.

 You have got to be kidding me?!? The department of Health and Human Services waits until a business day after the deadline for January coverage to inform someone that a new application needs to be submitted through the state?!? After previously discussing this matter with two other HHS employees (one of them on the 24th)?!?

After getting off the phone with Brian, I called Arizona's AHCCCS system (again) and remained on hold for about an hour. I have waited on hold for them many times for that long and never got to a person. Today I got lucky and actually got to speak to someone. I was quickly told that there is "no way for the marketplace web site to submit information through the AHCCCS system." Marketplace support should have communicated this back on 5 December. Every HHS caseworker should know this.

 Two of the last three years, I have had access to only a mini-med policy available to me with an annual cap of $20,000 per insured. One year I had an emergency gall bladder removal and the next year my stepdaughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor and subsequent surgery. Yep, both of them right over the cap in a heartbeat. This last year my employer "allowed" me a buy-up to an actual insurance policy. For only about a third of my gross income, we finally had health insurance again, but I'm now essentially an indentured servant until mid-January when the 2013 premium takes its last payment.

 The new healthcare law should have been my family's salvation from this antiquated and abusive system, but no, now we will simply be uninsured beginning 1 January...And Arizona can take up to 45 days to render a decision once the application goes in.

 While I support the new law, the implementation has been a disgrace.

 Once again, the people this law was pretty much tailored for are simply getting the shaft.

 I guess by now we should be used to it.

    ~Have a happy New Year~

Most Sincerely,

James Tramm