Posted on 11/08/2013 6:16:54 AM PST by AU72
The state website residents must use to sign up for Obamacare health plans is riddled with infuriating computer flaws that cut off people with hyphenated names and force others to falsely say they are prison inmates or mental patients before they can finish their applications, a Herald review found.
The review comes just a week after President Obama came to Massachusetts — the birthplace of Romneycare, the model for the White House’s universal health care plan — to defend massive problems with the national website.
The review of angry posts from scores of frustrated applicants on the Massachusetts Health Connector website and Facebook page found a wide range of complaints, from frequent computer crashes, to long waits on the phone, to absurd glitches.
Among those snagged by the computer problems and interviewed by the Herald:
• Adam Romanow of South Boston said he hit a wall on the website Wednesday night, when he answered ‘No’ to a question asking if he’s currently incarcerated. “It immediately brought up, ‘We couldn’t electronically verify your incarceration status. Please submit proof of your incarceration,’” Romanow said. “It was crazy ... I’ve never had handcuffs on in my life.”
• Nancy Wilde, who lives in a Boston suburb, clicked “No” to a question on the website — and was then asked if she was locked up in a mental hospital or awaiting arraignment;
• Two women posted to the Connector’s Facebook page that the site wouldn’t let them complete their applications because their last names are hyphenated. The Connector suggested one of them call customer service;
• Bryan Roman of Salem, who’s trying to start his own graphic design firm, said the state informed him just last week he’d have to switch plans by the end of the month or lose his coverage. “It’s confusing and frustrating and to be honest, I just gave up on it,” Roman said;
• Richard LeSavoy of Merrimac, an Obamacare supporter, had trouble just trying to register an account, then was told he has to reapply in mid-November because his plan isn’t available yet. “If I can’t do it,” LeSavoy said, “my theory is, nobody can do it”;
• Justin Sacco of Lynn, a college student and parttime banker, has just days to meet his employer’s open enrollment deadline or lose his coverage. After the Health Connector website failed to process his application, an operator told Sacco the best they could do is mail him a paper one.
“It’s a nightmare. It’s a total frustration,” Romanow said. “With something like health care and when it’s something the state is running, when you release it to the public, it’s got to be perfect, or at least 99.9 percent. Right now it’s running at 60 percent, and that’s being optimistic.”
The Health Connector yesterday refused to answer even basic questions about the raft of complaints, and instead issued a statement.
“We know some users have had frustrating experiences, and we are doing everything possible to fix the issues those individuals are experiencing,” said spokesman Jason Lefferts.
“As we are working through the bugs in our system, we encourage people to contact one of our local Navigators for help in completing an application,” Lefferts said.
Officials insist the “vast majority” of users can
access the system. They said 47,000 accounts have been created and nearly 16,000 applications completed since Oct. 1.
Last December Mass Health and Human Services considered me for the job of monitoring CGI for ensuring the testing best practices are adhered but they canceled the job req and left CGI on their own.
Six months before I interviewed with a CGI QA Manager for the position of Lead QA for the Mass. Health connector but did not follow up as the Manager didn't know what she was talking about.
Does this perfectly describe ObaMao's people or what?
Does this perfectly describe ObaMao's people or what?
“and force others to falsely say they are prison inmates or mental patients . . .”
Heaven Help Them! NOW they have to worry about swat showing up at their doors to confiscate their legally owned firearms and who knows what other implications . . . : (
Why would anyone in MA sign up for ObamaCare when we have RomneyCare?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.