Pirate's Cove

It is getting easier to actually enroll in Obamacare, as the website issues are being fixed…except for those pesky security features…and ability to pay online…and many State run exchanges…anyhow, we knew that the website wouldn’t stay a complete failure as time went on. But, what if you found a plan offered outside of Obamacare? Lesli Hill, who saw her policy cancelled thanks to Obamacare, attempted to enroll in Ocare, but then found out that her insurer had a similar plan, so she decided to forget the Ocare plan and sign up directly with her insurer. She was told that she had to cancel the Ocare plan first. How’d that work out?

(Fox News) However, shortly afterward Hill, 62, learned she could once again purchase an individual plan — with better benefits — outside the exchange. She checked with Blue Cross Blue Shield in early December and was told she’d have to cancel her ObamaCare plan first.

“At that point, I hadn’t paid my premium … so I thought okay, that’ll be easy to do,” she said.

Ostensibly, yes. She tried using a simple “terminate button” on the website — but it wasn’t working.

Thus started what we’ll call the journey.

Hill first tried the HealthCare.gov help line, and “literally was on hold for several hours a day,” she said. After multiple attempts, without much luck, she tried the online chat. She was redirected back to the help line. The “script” that operators were reading from did not seem to address how someone could actually cancel a plan.

Hill continued to call the help line around the holidays, and eventually was given the impression that, at last, the plan was terminated.

But then, a $950 premium was withdrawn from her account — which she knew meant she was still enrolled.

As The Lonely Conservative notes, thinks continue to go downhill from there

She was told she had to call a “special department” that handles cancellations, but then they refused to give her the number. She had to jump through all sorts of hoops and enlist the help of Blue Cross Blue Shield before she finally got the policy cancelled. When asked about cancelling Obamacare policies the HHS spokesperson said to call the Marketplace consumer call center, which is the same place that gave Ms. Hill the runaround.

This goes directly to having The Government involved in consumer choice purchases. Because we all know how efficient The Government is. In honesty, some are good, some are bad. I have to deal with government agencies here and there in my job. Dealing with the Social Security Admin is usually easy, in terms of contact (usually a 20 minute wait) and getting the docs I need (25 minutes usually). Veteran’s Affairs? I don’t even bother to call. The line is usually so busy that they won’t even leave you on hold. I tell people to simply go to the VA office. Other departments are pretty bad, too. The IRS was very helpful in one personal issue. But, wait times are often long. And when considering Obamacare, you are mixing public with private, and there are numerous public institutions involved, and government tends to also be very inflexible. At least in terms of how they deal with Citizens.

Don’t expect the processes for Ocare to get better anytime ever.

More: I don’t usually link back because I have a script set up to show any trackbacks, but this from the Daley Gator amused the heck out me

THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA OF HEALTH CARE

You can check in, but you can’t check out. Funny, because I had that song playing on the way to work. Serendipity.