OK. I found out about my identity verification problem with the ACA.

[Zorra]

I was told by an Experian representative that they cannot verify my identity unless I have used some type of credit within the past two years.

Well...isn't that special?

This...is really wrong, very, very, wrong. In my opinion, this is the thing that is most wrong about this whole process.

I have a valid birth certificate, social security card, drivers license, passport, voter registration card, FBI fingerprint clearance card, 3 bank accounts, I was born in the US, I have a job, I pay taxes, I have a mailing address and a home address.

But they cannot verify my identity unless I have used credit within the past 2 years. I sent in my identity documents over the internet 10 times.

I don't believe in credit, and don't use, and I don't want to use it. goddammit! I am a legal American citizen, an actual living breathing human being of the planet earth.

I AM NOT A FUCKING CONSUMER. What I buy does not make me who I am.

I should not have to engage in debt commerce in order for my government to be able to verify who I am.

Here it is, 28 days after the Marketplace opened, having spent $35 on cell phone calls, probably at least 40 hrs of my time, and no one has yet been able answer my question about how I can verify my identity in order to get insurance!




I have to go, I just wasted another 1 1/2 hours on this process, another 15 minutes on this OP, and cannot respond to any replies until I make get the things done I needed to get done while I was trying to get insurance.

[elleng]

1. Very sorry.

Try telephone 'application?' I haven't had to try to access any of the sites.

P.S., I haven't used credit card for years.

[Zorra]

2. I applied over the phone. They told me that I would have something coming in the mail.

That was two weeks ago. When I asked them what exactly was coming in the mail, and if my identity had been verified, they told me they didn't know.

Gotta go!

[elleng]

4. Info on application you might have in the mail here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023939763

[nashville_brook]

3. i don't use credit either and have had similar problems

not with ACA -- but you're right. paying a credit company to use their money shouldn't be required for identity verification.

[napi21]

27. You do NOT have to pay a credit co. to use their money!

I use a credit card for everything, but pay the bill off every month. I never pay a penny to use their money, but I have an excellent credit rating. I use the CC to keep track of exactly how much money I spend and exactly where.

All you have to do is apply for a NO FEE credit card, use it and pay the balance every month.

[quakerboy]

76. You do pay them

I use credit cards. Like you, I keep mine paid off, so I never directly pay them. In fact, I get a decent cash back bonus. But I am aware that they are making money off of me. Each transaction, they get their fee from the merchant. The merchant adds that to their cost of doing business, and includes it in your price. So we all end up paying them, even those who dont use cards.

[napi21]

89. That's true, but it'sa the rare seller that will give you a "cash discount"!

I have gotten one once or twice, but I've been turned down almost every time I've asked. Especially on major purchases. I bought a new range for my kitchen and asked for a cash discount. When the seller said no, I charged it on the cc. Why not get the dditional warranty from the cc company if you get no advantage for cash?

[okaawhatever]

122. The contract a retailer signs with a credit card company says they cannot offer cash discounts

nor charge more for using one. That was taken to court and they now have a pretty jacked up way for retailers to charge more for people usiong cc, but for the most part they won't ever state they'll give you a cash discount unless the discount is for not using their own credit, like 90 days same as cash, or obtaining financing.

[napi21]

127. I know about the contract, however, this was an individually owned appliance store,

and the stove I wanted to buy was a floor model. He could have discounted it using any excuse he damn well pleased. Floor model, special deal If you buy today, etc. All I was interested in was the bottom line $$ out the door.

[okaawhatever]

121. The problem is when Congress decided to do better identity checks post mortgage crisis, the

credit bureaus stepped up to the plate and became the "source to verify". Basically they run the names and addresses against a couple of databases to verify ssn and status. Most credit transactions don't require this extra check but mortgages now do. I guess for simplicity (or really for the sweet contract I'm sure they got) they have taken over the task of verifying ssn and residency requirements.

[diabeticman]

5. Join the club. My wife had issues the simular to yours and I reported them here and we basically

got told that my wife was insane jerks for getting upset by the situation.

[KoKo]

73. I remember you posting about that...What did she eventually do?

[diabeticman]

74. She is in limbo. She is waiting for time off so she can bring all the info do in person but

it seems the nearest sign up is in a town 20 minutes away and she is averaging 46 hours a week at work.


So she hoping next month she will be able to get this done so she has time to pick a plan that won't break our budget but gives her coverage.

[Tx4obama]

6. A NEW LINK from the WH - enter your zip code to find out where to sign up for ACA in person LOCALLY

HERE: https://LocalHelp.Healthcare.gov/

Just enter your zip code on the link above and a LIST of LOCAL places will come up with info to where to go to get personal help/application assistance to apply for health coverage.

[diabeticman]

75. Yeah nice feature too bad sign ups can be really hard for some people EXAMPLE: I typed

in my zip code and found 95 areas we can go to sign up too bad not one is in our home town. I am told to either go to pittsburgh or Ohio and some places are about 30 minutes from us and some are 1 1/2 hours away.

Lucky wife and I have a car. What happen to the poor sap who has no transportation and needs to verify identity?

[babylonsister]

7. I have a debit card, but don't

owe anyone anything. I haven't tried yet, but will be shortly, hoping those kinks get worked out.

I can't believe with all that proof you're getting hassled. Sucks.

[winterpark]

8. i hadexact same problem signing up my 18year old. After a month and finally being able to get to the

End of the application we now have to mail her identifying docs to th marketplace and then wait for 2 more weeks for processing. Shes in college, working, paying taxes and has a checking acct and they still fucking cant verify her identity. Im pissed all over again. I have quite a number of issues with the site, i find it quite user unfriendly. And when we are finally thru the process to the end i planon posting about it so others can avoid similar issues. Imin florida sowe have to use the federal site. Good luck. I will get that address we have to mail to and i can message youif you like.

[badtoworse]

9. So get a credit card, buy a few things and pay the full balance when you get the bill.

If you can afford to pay cash, what difference does it make?

[Gravitycollapse]

10. You shouldn't be required to have a credit history to have health insurance.

That's a ridiculous requirement.

[badtoworse]

11. Obviously, but sometimes pragmatism is the way to go.

[Gravitycollapse]

12. And why is requiring a credit history pragmatic?

You realize you'll have to be insured, regardless, right? It's not as if having bad credit is going to kick you out of insurance programs.

[badtoworse]

13. Getting a credit card to avoid putting up with the bullshit is the pragmatic part.

You don't think the system is going to change anytime soon, do you?

[Gravitycollapse]

14. We are arguing the ethics of the system, not how to live with the bullshit status quo.

[badtoworse]

15. Pragmatism doesn't consider that

Nobody believes it's ethical, but complaining about it on an internet mesage board won't get anyone enrolled. I don't see the problem going away anytime soon; do you?

[Gravitycollapse]

16. That's some entertainingly circular logic. Nothing changes unless we complain.

So if you don't see the point of complaining, you don't really see the point in changing the requirement. Which means you're not much of a pragmatist, despite your prior claims.

[badtoworse]

19. Not exactly my position

The OP said he's spent 40 hours and $35 on his cell phone trying to solve the problem of no credit history preventing him from enrolling under ACA. To me, the easiest way to solve this would have been for ther OP to establish a credit history. I don't blame him for being pissed off - I'd be, if I were in his shoes. At the same time, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have wasted 40 hours on this - I probably would have given up after 8 hours and gotten a Visa card.

I'm not shy about complaining to governors, legislators, etc. - I've done it many times. I just don't expect that complaints will solve my problem or accomplish much in the short term

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. It's not exactly going to be at the top of the list of things that CGI is going to be fixing....

so he is trying to tell you....that some people may consider getting a credit card...just to keep from having to wait till that issue becomes a higher priority...currently they have bigger fish to fry on the website...people who haven't used a credit card in years is going to effect a small percentage of site users...thus the lower priority on the list of issues to tackle.

You may be willing to wait...others may not...

[Pab Sungenis]

52. A small percentage of users?

I'll bet a size able chunk of the uninsured have bad or no credit, often brought about by medical bills.

[VanillaRhapsody]

60. not true...MOST people do not have bad or no credit...even if uninsured.

[Pab Sungenis]

61. Maybe not MOST

but A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.

[LanternWaste]

123. Instructing people to be pragmatic in the face of unethical consumerism won't get anyone enrolled ei

Instructing people to be pragmatic in the face of unethical consumerism won't get anyone enrolled either...

Six of one, half a dozen of the other (insert distinction without a difference here)

[badtoworse]

124. I disagree

The OP is a consumer, but he does not utilize credit cards to do so. He does not like borrowing money and prefers to pay cash. Consequently, he has no credit history and that is preventing him from enrolling in an ACA insurance plan. Other than his dislike of credit cards, there is nothing stopping him from making the same purchases with a credit card and paying the entire balance when he gets the bill. He wouldn't be spending any more money if he did that.

The OP believes (and I agree) that he shouldn't need a credit history to enroll and has spent a lot of time and money attempting to enroll without such a history. The pragmatic approach would be for him to put aside his dislike of credit cards; get one and establish a credit history. Presumably, with the credit history thus established, he would be able to enroll.

How is that not pragmatic?

[Chan790]

47. I don't think that's what they're arguing.

They're arguing that it's pragmatic to simply go get a credit card and use it once to establish a credit identity rather than fight the system for 3 weeks like Zorra and get nowhere because you don't have a credit history in the past two years.

Pragmatic as in path of least aggravation.

[jeff47]

51. Because in everyone's life, the shit will hit the fan at some point.

Having a credit history gives you additional options to clean up the now sprayed-about-the-room shit.

And yes, that should have nothing to do with health insurance.

[Shankapotomus]

34. Not in this case

This is clearly a major issue if you have a problem supporting corrupt private enterprises like credit card companies.

Voluntary participation in the credit industry is one thing. But forced coercion with the threat of not receiving healthcare is totally unacceptable.

In addition, people have to qualify for credit cards. Some people won't qualify for a card. What then?

This requirement has to be eliminated.

[badtoworse]

35. Never said the requirement shouldn't be eliminated; it should.

I don't see it happening anytime soon. Sometimes you have to just hold your nose and do what the system demands.

[hrmjustin]

42. Hello again.

[sabrina 1]

78. Do you know what 'pragmatism' means? Historically I mean?

[badtoworse]

94. It was a philosophical movement that emphasized solutions over ideas

It was popular in the late 19th century

[Gormy Cuss]

21. That's assuming that getting a credit card is easy for someone with no credit history.

It takes more work and time to get a credit card when one has no others. It would then take a few months to complete the cycle of receiving the card, using it, getting billed, paying the bill, and having all these events appear on a credit bureau file.
I'm betting the whole cycle takes a minimum of three months and an average of five or six.

Of course, the real issue is it shouldn't be more difficult to authenticate identity just because one isn't a typical consumer.

[napi21]

29. Get a pre-paid CC. They don't take much time to get

and still give you a credit history.

[Gormy Cuss]

36. That would still take several months to establish a history, no? n/t

[Chan790]

48. No.

We used to do it at the bank to establish credit for people with large cash on hand and no history in order to establish histories in order to clear mortgages. (As in "I have never used credit and I have a $1M in cash but I want to buy that house over there and it's $1.1M so I need a mortgage.&quot That's a safe mortgage...it'd be approved for anybody with a credit score north of 600 anyways. You give us $3K which goes in a 13-mo CD that is then used to secure the card and we give you a secured CC for $3K (smallest CC we issue) and tell you that you need to spend at-least $1K. The credit posts within days. You come in and pay the balance and cut up the card. After 12 months of non-use, it cancels itself. One month later the CD comes up for renewal and if you choose to close it, you get ~$3037 back with interest. In the meanwhile, the mortgage gets approved and the home-sale closes.

Same week credit history...it's thin but it suffices to secure a note for $100K with 90%+ down.

[Gormy Cuss]

49. Thanks for the explanation.

Kinda scary that it's that simple to establish a credit history sufficient for a mortgage --while good for the consumer it's a sign that credit scores and credit histories aren't that meaningful except perhaps to identify some with a history of bad debt.

[quakerboy]

77. Or, even without that

If you have someone who trusts you, and they have a credit history, you can co-opt theirs.

We did this for our mortgage. I had great credit. My wife had absolutely no credit history. Apparently that was a big problem, even though I would have easily qualified for the mortgage on my own, without her.

So, on a moment of inspiration, I added her name to a couple of my credit cards. Boom. Instant 10 year credit history. Her score went from "who was that again" to a few points better than mine in two phone calls

[cui bono]

22. So you agree with voter ID laws too then?

Same thing, just go out, get an ID and then go vote. What difference does it make?

[Demo_Chris]

25. Checkmate. Well done. nt

[badtoworse]

32. The issue is not with the requirement for ID - I'm OK with that.

You need ID to do lots of important things and I would put voting on the list.

We need to address the problem of obtaining an ID in certain special situations, e.g. if you were never issued a birth certificate.

[AngryOldDem]

80. That may not be a good idea, either.

I pay my credit card off every month. When I went to get a new car about two years ago, I ran into a problem because when the car dealer ran a credit check, I had no history, because I pay my card off every month. You would think this would be a good thing, but apparently they're looking for people who carry debt. Debt up to the eyeballs would be preferable, I suppose, but any debt will do.

I totally sympathize with the OP. When I applied for self-insurance, no credit check was needed so I'm not sure why this is an issue with the ACA.

This country and its love affair with credit..totally freakin' ridiculous. People should not have to feel bullied into getting credit cards, if they don't want them.

[cui bono]

23. Are you going for rudest post of the day?

Why should anyone think that they have to have a credit agency be able to verify their identity in order to sign up for health insurance at a govt run site? They know who you are when it comes to collecting taxes.

[Zorra]

53. Subservience to our new Wall St. overlords is becoming increasingly and disturbingly common

these days.

I, for one, do not welcome the greedy fuckers.

[PasadenaTrudy]

18. Hmmmm

My boyfriend hasn't had a credit card in decades, and he bought ins. quickly through CoveredCA..

[Hell Hath No Fury]

40. California has its own exchange --

and sign-up requirements. That might be the (smarter) difference.

[Mojorabbit]

20. I am sorry you have had problems

It must be incredibly frustrating. I am waiting for another month before I try and hoping the bugs are worked out.

[Zorra]

87. Thanks. I'd wait too, but if I can get insurance that starts in January it will save me

a lot of money.

[cui bono]

24. Unbelievable that credit agency is need to verify ID. What happened to SS numbers?

The IRS doesn't need to verify you with a credit agency. That's ridiculous.

Credit agencies wield too much power over our lives when they can keep someone from signing up for something through a federal website and also keep someone from getting a job because it's okay to run a credit check on applicants.

I'm sorry you have to deal with all this crap Z. There's a post in the thread about being able to go sign up in person, locally. Perhaps that will work even if it is an inconvenience.

[jeff47]

54. The "verification" is by asking you about details from your credit history

For example, "At which one of these four addresses did you live?" They aren't running credit scores.

It's a shortcut for verifying identity without physically checking ID. The IRS doesn't care because they'll happily accept money from anyone, no matter who they claim to be.

It's one of the stupid bits put into the law by the DLC-types. They love the Republican fascination with fraud.

[Pab Sungenis]

62. The problem is when you DON'T have recent credit information.

For example, there are at least three Paul Sungenises (Sungenii?) in the United States right now.

Experian asked which was my address, and all four options were places I've never lived. Some in Florida, some in Pennsylvania.

Next they asked me which pet I purchased PET INSURANCE for in 2011. PET Insurance? I can't afford my OWN insurance, so sorry, Mongo, but you're on your own.

Thus, no accurate information to verify my identity.

[jeff47]

64. Yep, which is why it's not the only way to do so.

Most people will be able to get through the questions and not need the "other" verification method, which is signing a form they mail to you, IIRC.

Btw, they will ask questions where "none of the above" is a correct answer. It doesn't necessarily mean there's bad data in your file. I had two trick questions from the same system when I recently got a car loan.

[Pab Sungenis]

65. Yeah, it's not the only way to verify

but it is the least annoying.

Consider the Coase Cost (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problem_of_Social_Cost). The more inconvenient you make something, the less likely people are to do it. Conversely, the more convenient you make something the more likely people are to do it.

Right now the Coase Cost of signing up at healthcare.gov is pretty darn high. The improvements have started, and hopefully all these glitches will soon be ironed out.

[cui bono]

91. Well that's what I mean, why do the credit agencies have that power?

I mean really, credit agencies ID us? That's ridiculous.

[jeff47]

96. They have the data.

The government doesn't have the data to come up with those questions.

[cui bono]

100. I can understand the logistics, my point is more of an incredulous reaction

that they are the ones that have the information that can actually verify our identity when the govt doesn't? I mean really, an address validates you more than a SS number?

It's just a scary place - one based on the notion that we are all just consumers and one that reports how well we consume - to put that sort of reponsibilty, imo.

I still don't see why a SS number doesn't work though, you may have answered that but I just woke up and I'm not remembering right now.

[Zorra]

104. Thank you for getting it. The fact that I have a US Dept. of State issued passport

means nothing in proving my identity in this case, but the fact that malicious banksters are unable to track my past means I am unable to participate in a government mandated program

That's disturbing, but also makes me smile, in a personal way.

The fact is, I have deliberately made it difficult for the banksters to track my past, because,frankly, I don't like them, I value my privacy, and my past and my life is none of their fucking business.

I suppose that, in the end, I'll just have to eventually go to some government office with my SS card, Driver's license, and passport. That's fine with me, I wish I could have just done that in the first place, and avoided all this bankster induced nonsense.

Ya know, now that I think about it, I'm like totally stoked that the banksters can't track me, and can't figure out who I am.

Another major life success.

[jeff47]

109. How, exactly, do you plan to use that passport to verify identity over the Internet?

And keep in mind photo editing software is incredibly cheap and effective.

I suppose that, in the end, I'll just have to eventually go to some government office with my SS card, Driver's license, and passport.

No, they can mail you a form to sign and return.

[jeff47]

108. Well, if you look at a whole lot of other threads on DU, you'll find people horrified

by the government knowing information about us. Also known as "the NSA spying scandal".

So either it's terrible for the government to track us, or it is good for the government to track us depending on which thread you are reading.

I mean really, an address validates you more than a SS number?

SSNs are just 9-digit numbers which are frequently stolen for identity theft purposes. Knowing a particular SSN is not a good indication that it is your SSN.

The fact that you know a lot of information about yourself, such as former street addresses and the other questions they ask, is a good indication that you are who you say you are.

I still don't see why a SS number doesn't work though, you may have answered that but I just woke up and I'm not remembering right now.

The fact that you know a SSN is not proof that it is your SSN. I know the SSN for myself, my wife, my kids, my sister and both my parents. Yet I'm only one of those people. If you verified just by asking SSN, I could "prove" I was any one of those 7 people.

And that extends outside families - experts in identity theft regularly claim that every single SSN has been stolen.

As a result, you can't just rely on an SSN as proof of identity. That's why virtually every program that takes an SSN also demands additional proof of identity, such as a photo ID.

[cui bono]

111. Being able to prove your identity to the govt without using an outside private agency

is very different than NSA spying.

[jeff47]

112. What, exactly, is the objection to NSA spying?

Answer: Government collection of data about citizens, without a search warrant.

What is being proposed here? Government collection of data about citizens, without a search warrant.

If the latter is OK, you have to explain what's wrong with the former. If the former is not OK, then the latter is also not OK.

[cui bono]

114. It's two entirely different things.

One is spying. One is asking for ID.

Two different things. Entirely.

[jeff47]

115. No, it's not just asking for ID

Because you can't just ask for ID over the Internet. You've got no evidence that the ID actually exists - I can electronically create any ID with any content I want.

So to verify identity over the Internet, you are stuck with matching information. Which requires collecting and storing information.

[cui bono]

116. So you believe that the NSA is spying just because they're asking for ID?

[jeff47]

117. :facepalm:

When you don't have a point, it's much better to just not reply instead of making a really stupid attempt at a "gotcha".

[cui bono]

118. Wow. Really? You are the one who equated the two, not me.

I'm just trying to understand why you think they are the same thing. I've said a couple times already that they are not and you continue pressing the point.

I'm am absolutely not playing "gotcha". I just don't understand what we're talking about because you keep bringing in the NSA into a discussion that has nothing to do with them.

[jeff47]

119. No, you're spouting bullshit in an attempt to deflect.

I'm just trying to understand why you think they are the same thing

You aren't that dumb. Playing that dumb does not help your argument.

People object to the government collecting private information when the NSA does it. You are proposing that the government collect more private data so that they can ask verification questions instead of Experian.

Collecting data is collecting data.

I've said a couple times already that they are not

And if I said the sky was green, would that make it true? Or would I have to actually provide more than the assertion?

I just don't understand what we're talking about because you keep bringing in the NSA into a discussion that has nothing to do with them.

You aren't that dumb.

[cui bono]

120. Okay, seriously, I don't know why you are upset.

I really don't. I'm honestly feeling like you are making this personal right now and I don't know why. Honestly.

Here's what I think you are saying. You are saying that NSA gathering information by spying is the same as a govt website asking you to use Experian to validate your ID? Is that correct? That's what I got before and that's what I get now. You are saying data collection is data collection, so both are the same thing.

But it's not the same thing.

The NSA is arguably unconstitutionally spying on us by gathering our records, without our knowledge and without proper warrants, and storing them for possible future use. They have no need for this. They are not gathering it in order to help us obtain something like a health insurance plan. They are not doing it at our request to obtain something. They are not asking us to give it to them. We have no knowledge of what they are really doing and they have no reason to be doing it.

The ACA website is asking us for ID verification only because we go on the site asking for something from them. They have a need to know who we are so they ask for us to provide something to verify that we are who we say we are. They are not spying in order to get info about who we are for no reason, they are asking you to verify who you are because you initiated a request through the website to obtain health insurance. When you get a passport you have to provide your birth certificate. They don't go spying in order to get your birth certificate for no reason, they ask you for it because you initiated the request for a passport and they want to verify who you are.

Those are two completely different situations. I don't really see how you think they are the same.

My initial post was that I think it's odd/bad or whatever I said that the govt is relying on a credit agency to verify who we are, you'd think they could do it themselves. It's surreal.

Other than that I don't know what to tell you. I really have no idea how this got so off track.

[Egalitarian Thug]

28. Submit, conform, obey. That is the only law that matters in America anymore.

But of course. it's all your own fault.

[solarhydrocan]

95. You forgot Consume

"Everything not prohibited is now mandatory" (there's that word again)

[Common Sense Party]

30. That's seriously messed up. Good for you that you don't use credit.

You shouldn't have to, if you don't want to. And you definitely shouldn't to buy health insurance.

I should not have to engage in debt commerce in order for my government to be able to verify who I am.

Amen. That is ridiculous.

Whose crazy-ass idea was it to have a credit report company in charge of such a big chunk of the ACA?

[NoOneMan]

31. I cannot believe this OP because Obamacare has no flaws

Anything contrary to that must be disregarded. Send your postcode, phone, IQ and Astrological sign anyway

[HereSince1628]

33. Insensitivity to the lives of others. n/t

[KoKo]

37. Enough of thisl Experion wants to make sure apply for Credit Card ASAP!

so they can Data Mine you.

This is No Way to deal with verification for Affordable Health Care. Has anyone gone to that WhiteHouse.GOV site and let them know something is wrong with this. There are people in the USA who need this Care...and they don't have Credit Cards and that shouldn't be the identification for anything unless one is buying a House or Car that needs a credit check. And even that didn't prove out in the Housing Corruption Bubble! They didn't even bother to check credit! And, certain car Dealers for many years didn't either.

Sorry you and many others are having to deal with this.

[Zorra]

50. What's next? Will we be required to have a credit history in order for a credit reporting agency

verify our identities in order to get a voter registration card, a PO Box, a driver's liicense, or a passport?

I simply don't need, and don't want, to use credit of any kind. I have always paid as I go, and this has proven to be a very prudent decision.

My financial history is immaculate. I don't owe anybody anything, and pay any financial obligations I have, such as auto insurance payments, as per my word, in a timely manner. If I wanted a credit card, I have no doubt banks would be very pleased to give me a substantial credit line; they kept offering me them over and over for years, and my banks and credit union offer me them periodically, sometimes very adamantly.

The fact that I am required to, but cannot, get my identity verified for a government initiated program, by a private corporation that has a clear profit interest in knowing my personal information and financial history, is worrisome, and I take this a continuation of the disturbing trend toward privatization of government services and the as another indication of the merger of corporation and state.

Credit cards? I don't need no stinking credit cards!

That said, I believe that the ACA will help many people, including myself, and I have no problem with the SSA or Department of State verifying my identity. But I feel that it is a serious violation of it is a violation of my autonomy as a sovereign citizen to require me to seek and gain the approval of a wealthy private interest in order to participate in a government initiated insurance program.

Now, I am going down to check my mail, and see if any information regarding my eligibility has arrived, and I am hoping that they were able to verify my identity without the approval of bloodsucking corporate leeches who I thoroughly despise, and who I do not wish to have anything to do with my life in any way, shape, or form.

[jeff47]

55. Those other scenarios require a physical ID check.

You present a physical ID for a voter registration, driver's license, passport and so on.

The credit history check is a shortcut for presenting physical ID. Mail-in forms are the replacement if it doesn't work for you.

Did you miss some of the verification questions? I know I had a hard time with one of the "what was your street address" from a place I lived 8 years ago.

[KoKo]

57. What does where you lived 8 years ago have to do with

your identity? As long as you have your SS Card, Drivers License and IRS number... you can be checked. Why should you need anything else? Particularly where you lived years ago and what you at for Breakfast last Tuesday?

Do you see how ridiculous this is?

[jeff47]

58. How do you check a Social Security card or Driver's license over the Internet?

Or over the telephone?

The fact that you know the answer to the four questions Experian asks means it's very likely that you are who you claim to be. Just like presenting a physical driver's license means it's very likely that you are who you claim to be.

But there's no way to present a physical driver's license over the Internet or telephone. So they ask questions to try and avoid having to show physical ID or other more lengthy identity verification - such as mailing you a form to sign.

That doesn't make it a requirement for the program. It makes a faster route through the process for a majority of people.

[Pab Sungenis]

66. Upload a scan.

Which is what you are prompted to do if the questions don't work.

[jeff47]

67. Sweet! I'm gonna photoshop my address to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. (nt)

[Pab Sungenis]

70. lol.

But it does verify address and/or social security number, or both depending upon state and which you choose.

[Zorra]

85. Yep. And I uploaded it like 10 times. nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

39. You still have plenty of time.

Open enrollment ends on March 31st.

If what Experian is telling you is true then it's a serious flaw in the implementation of the law that should be fixed. The workaround is to apply for department store credit, a credit card, or a phone bill, or a utility bill or a prepaid credit card.

I'm surprised that any american adults are entirely without a credit history. If you've ever gone to a doctor and gotten a bill for those services, you have a credit history.

[Autumn]

41. That sucks. It's going to be a real problem for people who

don't use credit or because of problems can't get credit so use cash. I closed down my credit cards 7 years ago and have bought nothing that I can't pay cash for. A debit card from my checking account is all I have used for the last eight years.

[ScreamingMeemie]

44. My daughter was able to log in and create a profile and has never had a credit card in her life.

[Autumn]

45. That's good to hear. But obviously some people are having problems.

Has your Daughter gotten past creating the profile? I tried to get on the first 2 day but couldn't do it so I decided to wait till they get all the bugs out.

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. I think the problem is in the four questions they ask you to answer.

I found myself second-guessing on two of them, and I had to do them twice before I was verified. And, on edit, I forgot to add the second part, she is signed up, picked a plan and is ready to go.

[Autumn]

56. I have found in my experience with Experian, they are more or less worthless.

It took them 2 years to get a bad bill off my credit history and the damn name wasn't even spelled the same and the SS was slightly different.

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. An honest question and not meant with harm intended. Did you screw up the

four question "verify your identity" part by accident?

The reason I ask this is because my daughter does not have a credit card and did not have this issue. My neighbor did have this issue (she has a credit card), but she messed up on answering the questions.

[Zorra]

86. No. I am not stupid, illiterate, uneducated, or incompetent.

I never said they told me I had to have a damn credit card, for fuck's sake.

I said that they told me I had no credit history for the past two years.

[ScreamingMeemie]

92. I am not stupid either. Thanks for implying that I

am. I'm pretty sure that's what happened as people without credit cards have been able to be verified. You lost my sympathy here with that attitude. Sorry.

[upaloopa]

59. You could have bought some gas on credit then

paid the full balance when it was due in effect not using credit but showing up with a credit report for less money than what you spent fighting it.

[grantcart]

63. Confused

I thought your verification was solved some time ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023818808

And we got ours verified w/out having credit cards for years.

[ScreamingMeemie]

68. To be honest, I think the OP may have messed up on the 4 answer part.

My daughter was verified as well, without ever having a credit card. Some of those questions are tricky, and I had to do it twice.

Also, GREAT CATCH

[grantcart]

71. not trying to catch anyone but I thought this poster had

Said they would give up the effort rather than continue with Esperian but I gwt people mixed up all the time so I did a search.

Now just confused.

[sammytko]

72. Yes, very confusing - says has 800 credit score, but I guess he doesn't want to HAVE to use

a credit check to establish ID. Maybe just taking a stab at the MAN?

[Zorra]

83. The woman at the credit union where I established an account 3 years ago ran a credit check on me

and told me I had a credit score of over 800.

Are you implying that I am lying?

[Zorra]

84. Here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3896338

[grantcart]

88. Well I had an identity verification problem and then when I

logged in the next day it was resolved and I could go on to the next step.

I notice however that even today, after I have already finished with my application with the insurance company and everything that if I log on it still shows a link to a ID problem, although it is obviously just a leftover notice.

There is one rule of business, no matter how good the system there will be one customer/client where absolutely everything goes wrong. When I ran a large company and met other CEOs we would all note the syndrome and laugh about it. One time I had a manufacturer that was buying our product and everything that could go wrong did, and it wasn't even our fault. I told him about him being the one customer where everything goes wrong and he laughed and said he had one guy like that.

Maybe you are just that guy here.

I am not judging your situation as others have but would suggest that it might be helpful to go to a local office where you can talk to a navigator face to face you can find one here:

https://www.healthcare.gov/blog/how-to-get-help-with-your-marketplace-application/

good luck.

[Zorra]

90. I supposedly have information coming in the mail soon. If that information is another

dead end about which I can get no clear answers from anyone, I will try a navigator.

At first the only navigator agency was 60 miles away, but I just found out that they put a branch 10 miles away, so it's now feasible for me to do it, maybe the navigators have a better idea about what is going on than the call reps do.

I just want someone from healthcare.gov who genuinely knows what is going on to tell me exactly what I need to do, and I will do it. maybe if I show a navigator all my ID's, my troubles will be over.

It should have all just been that simple in the first place.

[Zorra]

82. I did not mess up. I am not stupid. I have a college degree, and have run

two successful businesses.

Great catch? Are you implying that I am lying?

[ScreamingMeemie]

99. I am not stupid either, yet you implied that I was.

People screw up all the time regardless of how many degrees they hold. I was being sincere.

[sammytko]

69. maybe there are two zorras??

[Zorra]

81. It was. At least, I was told it was. The next morning nothing had changed on my account,

and when I called the phone center that morning to see what was going on, no one knew what I was talking about from the night before, and I could not get any information about my call and application acceptance from the night before. I think the woman that helped me did something she was not supposed to do, I don't know. But she read off several of the plans I was eligible for, and it appears that i will be able to get a great deal on insurance.

This is the kind of deranged thing I have been going through, conatantly If it's not one wacko thing, it's another. The first account I started, in August, completely disappeared from the website a few days ago, so I had to start a new account.

This has been like a maze of spiderwebs for me. And it is not because I am incompetent. Every time I call them it's, "We're sorry you've been having so muck trouble"...but no one can explain what is going on because they don't know.

And what I was told by the Experian rep was that my identity could not be verified because I had no credit history for the past two years, not because I did not have any credit cards.

Anyway, I did not receive any information in the mail again today, so I will try again tomorrow and if the info is not there I will call the call center again and they will tell me that it should be here before the end of nest week.

I wish I recorded every conversation and videotaped every time I was on the ACA website, because I would win an award at Sundance for funniest documentary.

Except that I would have to edit out most of the yelling and swearing.

[Warren DeMontague]

79. Weird.

I agree, that should not be part of the deal.

[ScreamingMeemie]

93. It isn't part of the deal for most people.

[Zorra]

97. How do you know this? nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

98. I explained to you how I knew this upthread, when you claimed I was somehow stupid

for over thinking the questions. I screwed up the first time I answered the questions (the question had something to do with a street address that I never lived at, but my father did).

My daughter has never, ever owned a credit card (she is only 23) and was able to be verified on Healthcare.gov. My neighbor (also not stupid but over thought the 4 questions) does have a credit card and had to mail in her information.

[Zorra]

101. There is a serious communication problem here. The only questions the

Experian rep asked me were basic personal information questions, ie, my reference number, my name, my date of birth, etc.

Those are the only type of questions he asked. There were no four questions, other than my name, date of birth, etc.

After I gave him that personal information, he told me that he could not verify my identity because I did not have a credit history for the past two years, and that I would have to call the call center to proceed further. I thought you were telling me that I got my name, date of birth, etc, wrong, which would definitely indicate that I was somewhat cognitively challenged.

There also seems to be something you are repeatedly failing to understand here:

I did not say that the Experian rep told me I had to have a credit card in order for him to verify my identity. I said, and these are direct quotes from the OP:

"I was told by an Experian representative that they cannot verify my identity unless I have used some type of credit within the past two years."

See? Not a single mention of a credit card?

Do you understand the difference between not having a credit card, and not using, or attempting to procure, any type of credit, such as a car loan, bank loan, etc? There are many more types of credit available than credit cards.

A common mistake many posters here are making is assuming that everyone's experiences with the healthcare.gov website, the call center, Experian, and other related items are the same or similar to theirs. They often appear to believe that just because their experience was relatively easy, that everyone who is trying to explain more difficult experiences is lying, stupid, or incompetent.

And the actual point of my OP is:

No one should be required to have their identity verified by a wealthy private interest in order to participate in a government legislated and mandated program.

[ScreamingMeemie]

102. Let me put it this way:

She has never built any form of credit.
(on edit: wrong word used there)

The four questions asked sometimes include a question that can trip a person up.

I was:

1. Trying to be helpful.

2. Trying to clear up the fact that many believe you have to have some type of credit in order to have your identity verified online. This is simply not so.



Here is what I have gotten from you:

You are angry and will lash out at anyone who either doesn't agree wholeheartedly with you and/or shares a different experience.

End of story.

[Zorra]

107. lol, oh, that's just so sweet, bless your heart..but...what about..."Also, GREAT CATCH"?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3945068

I'm sure you were just trying to be helpful and sympathetic by posting that.

Thanks you so very much.

[MicaelS]

103. Have you ever bought Car Insurance? n/t

[Zorra]

105. Yes, I have car insurance right now. nt

[Zorra]

106. Hooray! I was just told on the phone that my identity has been verified by healthcare.gov.,

and that the information that I have coming in the mail will contain plans for which I am eligible, and that I will be able to purchase federally subsidized insurance.

I'm not going to pop the champagne until I get it in writing.

[MicaelS]

110. Congratulations! n/t

[Tikki]

113. Maybe you could add an UPDATE in the OP if it is not too late...

Everyone reading your OP was hoping for the best for you….

You could put "UPDATE…Approved"...in the title…if too much time hasn't gone by…

Anyway Great News….


Tikki

[L0oniX]

125. This will be much easier once we all get a 666 stamped on our foreheads.

[davidpdx]

128. I thought it was going to be a barcode?

The world has already gone to hell anyway.

[nykym]

126. If they are looking for income verification only

they should have gone the route of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Part of the application process is income verification. They provide a link to the IRS page, you fill out about 10 questions and hit enter. If you did it right you info is verified and you can continue with the application.
For me it took maybe 30 seconds.
Using Experian must have been some political payback.

[davidpdx]

129. I'm glad to hear you got it worked out

My guess is there are going to be people that run up against these types of problems, which is unfortunate. I know what it's like to be impatient especially when time and money are involved and I'm busy with other things.

That being said, a lot of people in the thread did try to be as helpful as they could. Good fences mean good neighbors. I hope you know what I'm saying.