Deadlines are dangerous.

[kentuck]

The White House has moved up the penalty date for acquiring health coverage an extra six week - until the end of March.

But what happens if the system is still not working at that time?

Personally, I think it will take years to get this system working properly. Setting deadlines just a few months out only sets up the program for more criticism.

So what should be done?

In my opinion, the White House should state emphatically that the ACA is the law of the land and that it will be fixed when it is fixed, even if it takes years. And they refuse to play the "deadline" games of the Republicans, whose only intention is to destroy the program.

[geek tragedy]

1. The beginning of an enrollment period is the least important phase

of it. What matters is near the end, that's when people start enrolling in serious numbers.

They just need to get the technical issues fixed before the deadlines are on the horizon.

March 31 is a long, long ways away.

[kentuck]

2. We shall see.

It is difficult to predict human behavior.

[geek tragedy]

4. We do have the Massachusetts precedent though. Something like 95% of enrollments

happened right before the deadline.

[kentuck]

5. But don't they need like 7 million enrollments?

in order to make it cost effective? Will they even come close?

[geek tragedy]

8. I believe it's a state-by-state basis.

Enrollment numbers don't matter until December 1 at the very earliest.

Note that in Kentucky, about 1000 people a day are enrolling. Pro-rate that out over 6 months . . .

[kentuck]

11. 180,000

And Kentucky is doing very well. But Kentucky is a state with a lot of poor people that qualify for the Medicaid subsidies and many pay nothing. But, it is my understanding, that that is the purpose of the program, to offer coverage for those that have none. Most of the complaints seem to be coming from folks that already have insurance coverage and are seeing increases in their co-pays and deductibles?

I think it will succeed but that it will take much longer than the March deadline. I hope I am wrong.

[geek tragedy]

12. Those with coverage may be complaining because they're having to

pay more because their junk insurance plans are no longer allowed. I think a lot of people don't realize just how crappy their employer-based programs are. I've yet to see any plan from AETNA that wasn't absolute trash.

Deadlines exist for a reason--they motivate people to get stuff done.

I think you'll see an increase in enrollments/registrations between December 1 and December 15, and a bigger one towards the end of January.

[kentuck]

14. That is true.

They want to make profits and not pay anything out. Most are junk with high deductibles.

[beachbum bob]

3. every project needs a deadline

no matter what and if ACA website not 100%, then you must extend the deadline. ACA is the law of the land...republicans will say what they will for whatever reasons. Doesn't matter, what matters is getting the situation resolved and the GOp will fall into the trap of supporting fixing the website and supporting the ACA.

[BluegrassStateBlues]

6. Website bugs should not serve as an excuse for people to responsibly adhere to the law.

If you fiddle with the website long enough, you'll get through.

Sitting down for 15 minutes, then giving up, is lazy.

There's also the *GASP* old-fashioned option of filling out forms manually or calling the 1-800 number.

[kentuck]

7. True...

But how many times do they hit "Reload" during that 15 minutes. The Internet generation is very, very impatient. The "old-fashioned" way may be the only way to fix it?

[BluegrassStateBlues]

10. I don't think the website problems will persist long enough to justify any long-term delays.

But the "old-fashioned" way should be the way forward until they work out the bugs, which I'm predicting will be resolved within 2-3 weeks.

[geek tragedy]

9. Bigger problem is unseen--the back end where the information (and money)

gets exchanged with insurance companies needs to be ironed out.

[B Calm]

13. Maybe he should hire the old Mitt Romney to take over ACL. . .