As someone very interested in signing up for ObamaCare this isn't just media+congress circus.
And March '14 isn't the date that individual plans go kaput. Most of us in FL and I assume other states got notices from BCBS that our plans end on Jan 1st. That means we must signup before Dec. 15th on healthcare.gov.
My experience with healthcare.gov...
I think I must've been the first person in the US to successfully create and account and apply. I received my authentication confirmation email at 4am on Oct. 1st.
However... I still haven't been able to view any plans. When I click the "View eligible plans" button it goes to a 404. Sometimes it's a 50x, sometimes it just times-out. I've tried nearly every day since Oct. 1st. I've tried early, I've tried late, I've tried on the weekdays and weekends... I've tried re-applying, I've tried applying in another state we are thinking of moving to. From my experience healthcare.gov is radically busted.
So yes, you can create an account, enter all your personal information and "apply" but you sure can't see any plans that you are qualified for or actually you know signup.
However, healthcare.gov generally seems very quick, very responsive, I thought the UI for signup an authentication was good.
Extending your remarks, it is estimated that about 16 million people and families on the individual? market are losing their existing plans come Jan 1st because they aren't grandfathered and of course don't meet all the gold-plating in the floor plan (e.g. coverage of your children till age 26). There are of course replacement plans, but they're a lot more expensive because they by law must cover a lot more stuff.
As I understand it, If you are due a subsidy, as of now the only way you can get it is through the Federal exchange. State exchanges must use its subsidy calculator, ditto insurance companies (the latter is reported to have been a very low priority item in the system development).
As things look now (putting on my student of failed projects cap), a lot of people are going to be without insurance of any sort come Jan 1, especially because they can't afford whatever policies they're de jure or de facto allowed to buy. Which could easily kill as many people as lost in the Space Shuttle program ... except they didn't volunteer for something so obviously dangerous.
And March '14 isn't the date that individual plans go kaput. Most of us in FL and I assume other states got notices from BCBS that our plans end on Jan 1st. That means we must signup before Dec. 15th on healthcare.gov.
My experience with healthcare.gov...
I think I must've been the first person in the US to successfully create and account and apply. I received my authentication confirmation email at 4am on Oct. 1st.
However... I still haven't been able to view any plans. When I click the "View eligible plans" button it goes to a 404. Sometimes it's a 50x, sometimes it just times-out. I've tried nearly every day since Oct. 1st. I've tried early, I've tried late, I've tried on the weekdays and weekends... I've tried re-applying, I've tried applying in another state we are thinking of moving to. From my experience healthcare.gov is radically busted.
So yes, you can create an account, enter all your personal information and "apply" but you sure can't see any plans that you are qualified for or actually you know signup.
However, healthcare.gov generally seems very quick, very responsive, I thought the UI for signup an authentication was good.
YMMV