The Affordable Care Act is a positive step forward for Florida, in my opinion.
I'm a Pensacola resident who'd company-sponsored Health Insurance coverage for a long time, then lost it due to changes in price and employment status. We have not been insured for about four years, and it was not a huge problem until last spring, when my husband, Bob, was hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola for 9 days.
Bob now has problems that need ongoing consideration, and we were happy about the prospect of affordable health insurance coverage. The following is what I saw when enrolling and registering with Florida Blue and what it took to get decent Health Insurance Quotes.
October
I got healthcare.gov for the very first time in late October. I attempted to get the market but ran into difficulties with the website crashing, and enrolled after a 25 minute effort, I gave up.
November
In mid November, I was considerably more successful browsing the site and logged in again. I identified the sum of my tax credit and managed to input my family's income information. I determined on the strategy I needed to register in and subsequently sought the market. This took between one and two hours, but that resulted from the quantity of info I needed to read to make an educated choice. It was really tempting to go with whatever price us the least; our premium subsidy (tax credit? Not sure what I should be calling it) was enough that we could have had coverage that is free provided that our income remained not as high as it's now.
Additional research revealed that we could enrol in an HMO with a low regular office visit copay and pay a premium of just $.85 per month - yes, 85 cents per month, or less than $10 per year.
Since I've been comfortable with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance thing in its many variations through time, I figured I'd be safe to go with... existing systems set up, acquaintance with rolling out new products and dealing with groups... I was confident.
Pleased with my selection, I finalized my registration at the healthcare.gov market, and was supported. I realized I needed to pay my premium for coverage by late December . No trouble, I'd plenty of time!
December
From Florida Blue dated 11/28/13, I received a notice on December 2nd.
"Beloved _____________,
"Thank you for your request for insurance coverage with Florida Blue HMO.
"The mandatory payment to finish your registration hasn't been received for your coverage to start on 1/1/2#2014014. We should receive and process your payment in the sum of $0.85 by 12/26/2013. Your request for coverage cannot carry on if your entire payment is not received by us by that date.
"Please include the payment stub underneath with a check or money order. Please contain your Program ID on all payments. It is also possible to make your payment using the Program ID above at http://service._______________ or by telephone at ______________."
Being the web-informed statement-payer since I definitely did not need to squander a postage on 85 cents & a check, and I am, I visited the web site created an account from my Program ID number, and noted previously. I set up a "payment method" by inputting my checking account & routing numbers, and even gave that information a nickname in their own system. Eventually, I was willing to schedule my payment. It was just December 5 by this time, so I tried to submit it for the next day.
The payment screen displayed a message "Payment was scheduled". There was another tab called "Scheduled Payments", which I clicked on, anticipating to see a notation of my payment scheduled for the following day. But, no, there was nothing like that - only a message that said, "no payments pending" or something similar.
I repeated the procedure, attempting to submit the payment for two days afterwards instead of the next day. Same effect, nothing pending. It attempted for 12/20 since that was still before the deadline. No chance.
I determined I would wait and see if $0.85 (or $0.85 x 2, or x 3, or x 4...) was debited from my checking account before attempting anything else. I let 3 days pass, seeing the site daily & additionally assessing my account transactions via online banking. Nothing. So, I tried again, checked the next day, again, etc., over & over, until Thursday, December 12, at which stage I decided I'd better call and report the issue, and attempt to get some technical support.
So I phoned the toll-free number on my letter. I entered my numbers, browsed through menus, bound through all the hoops, and eventually got a message that their customer service representatives were all active and they could return my call within 24 hours if I so wanted.
I thus wanted.
Next day: I got a call back within the designated 24 hour interval. Unfortunately, nevertheless, the pleasant telephone representative said that the new coverage choices under the ACA (Obamacare) were serviced at a toll-free number that was different, she couldn't really help me and she had need to transfer me. Once transferred, I found my call and I gave up and stopped the call after spending 15 minutes on hold. By the following Monday, I made the decision to just mail in my payment.
My payment consisted of a check for 2 months of premiums: $1.64 (I could not stand the idea of writing a check for under a dollar, plus the postage...) and was sent on Tuesday, December 17. I figured that with the Christmas holiday, a week should be enough for my payment. It was due by December 26th.
Within a day or two of posting my payment, I got a follow up reminder notice that my premium hadn't been received. It reminded me of the 12/26 deadline, and my various payment alternatives including phone number and the web site. I began checking my bank if the check had posted to see, around the 23rd. By the 26th I was somewhat worried, but it eventually demonstrated posted on the 28th.
January:
I received an e-mail congratulating me on January 1st, on my Florida Blue coverage, and encouraging me to create an ID & log on to the member website. I figured that would be an excellent way to begin the new year, so I set my account up and followed the link. I managed to download a coverage graph, but I needed my member number, which hadn't been supplied yet when I attempted to choose a Primary Care Physician. Curses, foiled again!
So, I checked my mail box in hopes of locating my Florida Blue card in it, but no such fortune. I tried phoning the toll free number so I left a callback request, but it was the weekend. I have received a call back, but in the mean time I attempted logging into the member website again on January 6, and lo and behold! My member number is posted right there on my window's header, and I was really able to locate Cardiologists and some Primary Care physicians. It is late in the day so I'll wait until tomorrow to try and set up an appointment with my new physician, but I gotta say it: Woo Hoo! I've insurance!!!
Now, let us just recap for a minute.
Healthcare.gov:
's had a little problem with the healthcare.gov web site, but by mid-November, I managed to do everything I needed to do: identify my monetary class, research coverage choices, and sign up for my elected strategy. The links were made between my strategy supplier and the ACA website, and I received a bill notice.
Florida Blue:
Florida Blue sent 's a bill notice with wrong advice regarding a toll-free number that didn't connect me with the appropriate section to take my payment or troubleshoot my technical issue with the website and a website that wasn't practical to take my payment. On January 1, when my coverage was successful, I did not have complete accessibility to all functions of the site. Eventually by January 6, we managed to grab my member number and to identify network suppliers.
I think the Affordable Care Act is a positive step forward for Pensacola and the state of Florida. Now I've got accessibility I did not have before, although a big fan of the Medical Establishment in general not me, but it can be convenient in particular scenarios. That's not bad.
The site was around like anything federal government-connected that I have ever used. The performance by Florida Blue HMO shows that they did as little as possible to prepare for conformity with the new ACA conditions and was terrible. Money talks, and the insurance companies are not seemingly getting as much off of this ACA price.
I'm a Pensacola resident who'd company-sponsored Health Insurance coverage for a long time, then lost it due to changes in price and employment status. We have not been insured for about four years, and it was not a huge problem until last spring, when my husband, Bob, was hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola for 9 days.
Bob now has problems that need ongoing consideration, and we were happy about the prospect of affordable health insurance coverage. The following is what I saw when enrolling and registering with Florida Blue and what it took to get decent Health Insurance Quotes.
October
I got healthcare.gov for the very first time in late October. I attempted to get the market but ran into difficulties with the website crashing, and enrolled after a 25 minute effort, I gave up.
November
In mid November, I was considerably more successful browsing the site and logged in again. I identified the sum of my tax credit and managed to input my family's income information. I determined on the strategy I needed to register in and subsequently sought the market. This took between one and two hours, but that resulted from the quantity of info I needed to read to make an educated choice. It was really tempting to go with whatever price us the least; our premium subsidy (tax credit? Not sure what I should be calling it) was enough that we could have had coverage that is free provided that our income remained not as high as it's now.
Additional research revealed that we could enrol in an HMO with a low regular office visit copay and pay a premium of just $.85 per month - yes, 85 cents per month, or less than $10 per year.
Since I've been comfortable with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance thing in its many variations through time, I figured I'd be safe to go with... existing systems set up, acquaintance with rolling out new products and dealing with groups... I was confident.
Pleased with my selection, I finalized my registration at the healthcare.gov market, and was supported. I realized I needed to pay my premium for coverage by late December . No trouble, I'd plenty of time!
December
From Florida Blue dated 11/28/13, I received a notice on December 2nd.
"Beloved _____________,
"Thank you for your request for insurance coverage with Florida Blue HMO.
"The mandatory payment to finish your registration hasn't been received for your coverage to start on 1/1/2#2014014. We should receive and process your payment in the sum of $0.85 by 12/26/2013. Your request for coverage cannot carry on if your entire payment is not received by us by that date.
"Please include the payment stub underneath with a check or money order. Please contain your Program ID on all payments. It is also possible to make your payment using the Program ID above at http://service._______________ or by telephone at ______________."
Being the web-informed statement-payer since I definitely did not need to squander a postage on 85 cents & a check, and I am, I visited the web site created an account from my Program ID number, and noted previously. I set up a "payment method" by inputting my checking account & routing numbers, and even gave that information a nickname in their own system. Eventually, I was willing to schedule my payment. It was just December 5 by this time, so I tried to submit it for the next day.
The payment screen displayed a message "Payment was scheduled". There was another tab called "Scheduled Payments", which I clicked on, anticipating to see a notation of my payment scheduled for the following day. But, no, there was nothing like that - only a message that said, "no payments pending" or something similar.
I repeated the procedure, attempting to submit the payment for two days afterwards instead of the next day. Same effect, nothing pending. It attempted for 12/20 since that was still before the deadline. No chance.
I determined I would wait and see if $0.85 (or $0.85 x 2, or x 3, or x 4...) was debited from my checking account before attempting anything else. I let 3 days pass, seeing the site daily & additionally assessing my account transactions via online banking. Nothing. So, I tried again, checked the next day, again, etc., over & over, until Thursday, December 12, at which stage I decided I'd better call and report the issue, and attempt to get some technical support.
So I phoned the toll-free number on my letter. I entered my numbers, browsed through menus, bound through all the hoops, and eventually got a message that their customer service representatives were all active and they could return my call within 24 hours if I so wanted.
I thus wanted.
Next day: I got a call back within the designated 24 hour interval. Unfortunately, nevertheless, the pleasant telephone representative said that the new coverage choices under the ACA (Obamacare) were serviced at a toll-free number that was different, she couldn't really help me and she had need to transfer me. Once transferred, I found my call and I gave up and stopped the call after spending 15 minutes on hold. By the following Monday, I made the decision to just mail in my payment.
My payment consisted of a check for 2 months of premiums: $1.64 (I could not stand the idea of writing a check for under a dollar, plus the postage...) and was sent on Tuesday, December 17. I figured that with the Christmas holiday, a week should be enough for my payment. It was due by December 26th.
Within a day or two of posting my payment, I got a follow up reminder notice that my premium hadn't been received. It reminded me of the 12/26 deadline, and my various payment alternatives including phone number and the web site. I began checking my bank if the check had posted to see, around the 23rd. By the 26th I was somewhat worried, but it eventually demonstrated posted on the 28th.
January:
I received an e-mail congratulating me on January 1st, on my Florida Blue coverage, and encouraging me to create an ID & log on to the member website. I figured that would be an excellent way to begin the new year, so I set my account up and followed the link. I managed to download a coverage graph, but I needed my member number, which hadn't been supplied yet when I attempted to choose a Primary Care Physician. Curses, foiled again!
So, I checked my mail box in hopes of locating my Florida Blue card in it, but no such fortune. I tried phoning the toll free number so I left a callback request, but it was the weekend. I have received a call back, but in the mean time I attempted logging into the member website again on January 6, and lo and behold! My member number is posted right there on my window's header, and I was really able to locate Cardiologists and some Primary Care physicians. It is late in the day so I'll wait until tomorrow to try and set up an appointment with my new physician, but I gotta say it: Woo Hoo! I've insurance!!!
Now, let us just recap for a minute.
Healthcare.gov:
's had a little problem with the healthcare.gov web site, but by mid-November, I managed to do everything I needed to do: identify my monetary class, research coverage choices, and sign up for my elected strategy. The links were made between my strategy supplier and the ACA website, and I received a bill notice.
Florida Blue:
Florida Blue sent 's a bill notice with wrong advice regarding a toll-free number that didn't connect me with the appropriate section to take my payment or troubleshoot my technical issue with the website and a website that wasn't practical to take my payment. On January 1, when my coverage was successful, I did not have complete accessibility to all functions of the site. Eventually by January 6, we managed to grab my member number and to identify network suppliers.
I think the Affordable Care Act is a positive step forward for Pensacola and the state of Florida. Now I've got accessibility I did not have before, although a big fan of the Medical Establishment in general not me, but it can be convenient in particular scenarios. That's not bad.
The site was around like anything federal government-connected that I have ever used. The performance by Florida Blue HMO shows that they did as little as possible to prepare for conformity with the new ACA conditions and was terrible. Money talks, and the insurance companies are not seemingly getting as much off of this ACA price.