AP Exclusive: Applying for Obama plan not easy

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

WASHINGTON (AP) - Applying for benefits under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul could be as daunting as doing your taxes.

The government's draft application runs 15 pages for a three-person family. An outline of the online version has 21 steps, some with additional questions.

Seven months before the Oct. 1 start of enrollment season for millions of uninsured Americans, the idea that getting health insurance could be as easy as shopping online at Amazon or Travelocity is starting to look like wishful thinking.

At least three major federal agencies, including the IRS, will scrutinize your application. Checking your identity, income and citizenship is supposed to happen in real time, if you apply online.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130312/DA4VNACG3.html

---

A draft copy of the 21-page of a Health and Human Services Department form proposed for use to apply for low-cost insurance from Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program is photographed in Washington, Tuesday March 12, 2013. The government’s application for health insurance, which uninsured people will use to get taxpayer subsidized coverage starting next year. Applying could get complicated, with multiple questions about income, household composition, employer coverage and even race and ethnicity. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

[Demeter]

1. And once you have run THAT gantlet, you find that you have gained NOTHING

except a bill for insurance that you will never be able to afford to use. Heckuva job, Barry!

[Schema Thing]

2. Wait, Demeter, are you saying that people don't use

the CHIP and Medicaid programs?


or are you saying "hi, I can't read"?

[Demeter]

3. That's NOT Obamacare

And I read quite well, and wish others did, too.

[savalez]

9. Good, read post #6.

[tridim]

4. And who the fluck is "Barry"?

DU isn't FR last time I checked.

[Schema Thing]

5. right?

[Kelvin Mace]

10. "Barry"??

Look, I don't like a hell of a lot of what Obama does, but let's not use birther lingo.

[obama2terms]

18. Really, cut out the birther nickname!

First off, this law isn't perfect, and it was NEVER promised to be perfect. Social Security, medicare, medicaid etc. all the programs we cherish today aren't perfect but we still like them and appreciate them. Plus what do we know, the full law won't be in effect until next year! Second, with all of the checking it reduces chances of fraud and wipes out the GOP rhetoric of "anyone even illegal immigrants can get health insurance under this,no problem." With these amount checks, I don't think so. Third when you say " a bill for insurance that you will never be able to afford" what do you mean? My family was close to being kicked off our insurance ( prior to the pre-existing conditions rule) and that kicked in about a week or so later, we picked up new insurance saving us nearly 12,000 dollars a year, and we save hundreds on prescriptions too, something we couldn't have done without Obamacare. I don't know if it varies with each person, but everything you've said I have seen the EXACT opposite of. My family has SAVED money, oh and I forgot to mention the 850 dollar rebate check, so there's more money we saved too. Also, instead of our premium going up, we got that money. Which was awesome because instead of having to spend more money, we saved money. W/o this law we would be going broke trying to pay for meds and insurance ( if we were even able to find any), or my parents would be dead. So it was a lose lose situation obviously. Bottom line is, so far so good. It's too early to tell how good or bad the law will be, so save that shit for later!

[SunSeeker]

6. It's still simpler than what you go through now to buy health insurance.

From the article:

"Even with all the complexity, the new system could still end up being simpler than what some people go through now to buy their own insurance. You won't have to fill out a medical questionnaire, although you do have to answer whether or not you have a disability. Even if you are disabled, you can still get coverage for the same premium a healthy person of your age would pay."

[Kelvin Mace]

7. Anyone bitching about this has not seen

the kind of paperwork you go through when applying for regular insurance when not part of a group plan.

[Demeter]

11. Excuse me, but I have bought my own insurance since 1993

and I know all about Massachusetts foray into this program from my family. Personal experience, you know? Always beats the theoretical and the propaganda.

[Kelvin Mace]

12. And I had to get a policy

when I was self-employed for about ten years. The medical questionnaire by itself was 12 pages. Nothing theoretical or propagandistic about my post.

[SunSeeker]

20. Thank you. Nice to hear from someone who has some FACTS.

[Kip Humphrey]

8. $3,178 per month

That's how much the calculator on the California haealthcare site estimates health insurance premiums will be come October 1st for myself and my wife. This is a $500/month savings over current "best" rates we can get and our pre-existing conditions will be covered (where they are not under current offerings). Can we afford it? We have no choice.

[mac56]

13. I know many who would fill out a 100-page application if it meant they could see a doctor.

But that's just me.

[RILib]

14. looks pretty simple to me

Take a look at those forms, what are they ten lines a page?

And yes, what is this "Barry" crap.

I'm glad they are checking to prevent fraud.

I save hundreds of dollars a year, maybe more, due to the prescription cost savings in the Medicare donut hole.

[obama2terms]

19. My family

Has saved 12,000 a year ( due to switching companies because the law let us) hundreds on meds, as well as an 850 dollar rebate check. I don't get all whining all's we've done is save money so far! For the long haul, it's too hard to tell. I say give the law 5 years, that's when will know the true effect.

[Mr.Bill]

15. There will be people at medical facilities

that will assist people with applying, just as they do now with medicare and medicaid. They are called Case Managers. My wife is a retired RN who spent the last five years of her career doing this. There is no charge to the patient for this service. They also help people with their Advance Directives.

Believe me, if the hospital getting paid hinges on your health care insurance, government provided or otherwise, the hospital will get it done for you.

[olddots]

16. I'm going to get all wacky and wonder about A.P.'s motives for this piece .

the system is awful ,complicated ,redundant,mysterious and just plain stupid .I am going thru it now--- cancer -almost 65 no income ,been self employed 3/4s of my life but the humans on the phone have been helpful and actually human .
So back to the o.p. and who writes the news and why and why scum like Ryan gets any press = ratings

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Well...I will give you some insight

Today we covered a presser due to the sequester. There were four people answering questions and all that. Most of the print articles only quoted our colorful member of the board of supervisors.

I took the time to find the date of a midair collision that was central to the story, and quoted all. That takes a little more time and effort...especially when they get technical with alphabet soup...what is Odin for example? (Operational Downlink Information Network).

Compare and contrast this hatchet job, with what Time ran two weeks ago on the crisis of the medical system.

Most of it is lazy...if you get my drift.

[cheapdate]

17. Federal income tax returns can be awfully simple for a lot of people.

I used form 1040EZ for many years. After I married and bought a house I used form 1040A. It's not that complicated, for me anyway. But then, I don't have deferred business taxes in offshore accounts nor am I transferring investment dividends into IRAs, or any such stuff like that. The sum total of my "investments" are in my checking account.