Key parts of the government's beleaguered health insurance website will be down longer than usual this weekend as the site continues to undergo maintenance and repairs.
Reported by Miami Herald 33 minutes ago.
Health care website getting additional down time
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Obamacare Small Business Exchange Will Be Delayed A Year
Small businesses won't be able to buy health insurance via HealthCare.gov until next year, President Barack Obama's administration announced Wednesday.
The delay in functionality for the so-called SHOP exchanges represents the latest setback in the Obama administration's efforts to implement the three-year-old Affordable Care Act. The development also comes just days before HealthCare.gov, the online portal for individual and family health coverage in more than 30 states, is supposed to be working better after its troubled first two months.
Small businesses that want to utilize the federally run SHOP exchanges, and the tax credits worth up to half the cost of insurance that are available to some firms, will have to sign up through an insurance agent or broker or directly with a health insurance company, an administration official explained via email. In an attempt to mitigate the failure of the online application and enrollment process that was supposed to be in place, small businesses can submit their applications for tax credits whenever they file their taxes rather than in advance, the official wrote.
“This new delay announcement is a disappointment but not a surprise. Small businesses continue to be low on the priority list during the Obamacare implementation process," Kevin Kuhlman, manager of legislative affairs at the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a written statement. "The continued delays add to uncertainty and contribute to the decision of many owners to take early renewals of their small-group plans.” The National Federation of Independent Business opposed the Affordable Care Act and was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging its constitutionality, which the Supreme Court ultimately upheld.
The administration previously said online enrollment on the SHOP exchanges would be available by the end of this month, following earlier delays. Prior to Wednesday's announcement that the administration would facilitate enrollment via insurers, agents and brokers, paper applications were the only means small companies could employ to utilize the SHOP exchanges. Maryland also delayed its state-run SHOP exchange, though other states' exchanges are operational.
Unlike the federal- and state-run health insurance exchanges for individuals and families that limit sign-up to a certain period during the year, the SHOP exchanges are supposed to allow companies to enroll workers at any time. Still, companies with current benefits that expire at the end of the year have until just Dec. 23 to choose a health plan that will be in effect on Jan. 1, the official wrote.
Although online enrollment won't be possible on the SHOP exchanges until next year for benefits that will be available in 2015, the administration says it is enhancing the ability of small business to browse and compare their options on HealthCare.gov to prepare for enrolling using another method, the official wrote.
Earlier this year, the administration delayed another key component of the SHOP exchanges. Under health care law, small-business employees were supposed to be able to choose among any of the plans available on the exchanges. For 2014, employers will select the coverage for all workers instead. Reported by Huffington Post 4 days ago.
The delay in functionality for the so-called SHOP exchanges represents the latest setback in the Obama administration's efforts to implement the three-year-old Affordable Care Act. The development also comes just days before HealthCare.gov, the online portal for individual and family health coverage in more than 30 states, is supposed to be working better after its troubled first two months.
Small businesses that want to utilize the federally run SHOP exchanges, and the tax credits worth up to half the cost of insurance that are available to some firms, will have to sign up through an insurance agent or broker or directly with a health insurance company, an administration official explained via email. In an attempt to mitigate the failure of the online application and enrollment process that was supposed to be in place, small businesses can submit their applications for tax credits whenever they file their taxes rather than in advance, the official wrote.
“This new delay announcement is a disappointment but not a surprise. Small businesses continue to be low on the priority list during the Obamacare implementation process," Kevin Kuhlman, manager of legislative affairs at the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a written statement. "The continued delays add to uncertainty and contribute to the decision of many owners to take early renewals of their small-group plans.” The National Federation of Independent Business opposed the Affordable Care Act and was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging its constitutionality, which the Supreme Court ultimately upheld.
The administration previously said online enrollment on the SHOP exchanges would be available by the end of this month, following earlier delays. Prior to Wednesday's announcement that the administration would facilitate enrollment via insurers, agents and brokers, paper applications were the only means small companies could employ to utilize the SHOP exchanges. Maryland also delayed its state-run SHOP exchange, though other states' exchanges are operational.
Unlike the federal- and state-run health insurance exchanges for individuals and families that limit sign-up to a certain period during the year, the SHOP exchanges are supposed to allow companies to enroll workers at any time. Still, companies with current benefits that expire at the end of the year have until just Dec. 23 to choose a health plan that will be in effect on Jan. 1, the official wrote.
Although online enrollment won't be possible on the SHOP exchanges until next year for benefits that will be available in 2015, the administration says it is enhancing the ability of small business to browse and compare their options on HealthCare.gov to prepare for enrolling using another method, the official wrote.
Earlier this year, the administration delayed another key component of the SHOP exchanges. Under health care law, small-business employees were supposed to be able to choose among any of the plans available on the exchanges. For 2014, employers will select the coverage for all workers instead. Reported by Huffington Post 4 days ago.
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IRS Audits Cancer Patient After Obamacare Cancels His Health Insurance (Video)
IRS Audits Cancer Patient After Obamacare Cancels His Health Insurance (Video)Health
Politics
A cancer patient who spoke out against Obamacare for canceling his health coverage is now saying he’s being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.
The Blaze reported that Bill Elliott went on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” earlier this month and said he was told that his cancer was considered “beyond a catastrophic pre-existing condition” and his plan was being canceled due to new regulations.
Elliott said he was given the option of a new plan for $1,500 a month, which is an increase from the $180 per month or more that he’d been paying. He told Fox News host Megyn Kelly that he chose not to pay for the new plan, and was going to accept the financial penalty instead and “let nature take its course.”
Elliott was also on “Rocky D” on Charleston, S.C.’s WQSC, where he said that his insurance company was able to work it out so that he could keep the coverage, but there’s a new catch.
“Monday I got a certified letter, I went down and got it and it’s from the IRS and they are auditing my books from 2009,” Elliott said.
Elliott was not a business owner at that time and was working for the government, he said. He also claims that he pays his taxes each year and doesn’t evade them.
The notice also says that “due to federal budget cuts,” the meeting between him and the IRS won’t happen until April 2014.
“You stood up and spoke out about how Obamacare screwed over your insurance and probably would kill you and what’s the next thing that happened?” the radio host said. “You get audited by the IRS. That is not a coincidence.”
C. Steven Tucker, an insurance broker who reached out to Elliott after his Fox News appearance, writes in a blog post that after he helped Elliott keep his coverage, the IRS started auditing him back to 2003.
Elliott told Kelly that the reason he voted for Obama over Mitt Romney in 2012 is that he liked what Obama had promised about keeping your doctors and your insurance plans.
Elliott mentioned on the “Rocky D” show that he’s much healthier now, but still has bone scans every four months.
1 Reported by Opposing Views 1 day ago.
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White House Announces Transition Policy for Canceled Health Plans
Experient Health explains White House transition policy for canceled health plans in latest blog post.
Richmond, Va. (PRWEB) November 30, 2013
The White House announced a transition policy for canceled health plans, according to Experient Health, the health insurance arm of the Virginia Farm Bureau. Experient Health detailed the announcements and explained its effects in its latest post in a Blog series on health care reform.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes key reforms that create new coverage standards for health insurance policies, beginning in 2014. For example, effective for 2014 plan years, the ACA imposes new modified community rating standards and requires individual and small group policies to cover a comprehensive set of benefits.
Over the last few months, millions of Americans received notices informing them that their health insurance plans are being canceled because they do not comply with the ACA’s reforms.
President Obama has received criticism that these cancellations go against his assurances that if consumers have a plan that they like, they can keep it. Both Republican and Democrat members of Congress have been advocating changes to the ACA to resolve the cancellation issue.
Responding to pressure from consumers and Congress, on Nov. 14, 2013, President Obama announced a new transition policy for 2014. Under the new policy, individuals and small businesses whose coverage has been canceled (or would be canceled) because it does not meet the ACA’s standards may be able to re-enroll or stay on their coverage for an additional year.
However, this one-year reprieve may not be available to all consumers. Because the insurance market is primarily regulated at the state level, state governors or insurance commissioners will have to allow for the transition relief. Also, health insurance issuers are not required to follow the transition relief and renew plans, and have expressed concern that the change could disrupt the new risk pool under the federal and state Health Insurance Marketplaces.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined the transition policy in a letter to state insurance commissioners.
For 2014, health insurance issuers may choose to continue coverage that would otherwise be terminated or canceled due to the ACA’s reforms, and affected individuals and small business may choose to re-enroll in the coverage.
Under this transitional policy, health insurance coverage in the individual or small group market that is renewed for a policy year starting between Jan. 1, 2014, and Oct. 1, 2014 (and associated group health plans of small businesses), will not be considered to be out of compliance with specified ACA reforms if certain conditions are met.
According to HHS, it will consider the impact of the transition relief in assessing whether to extend it beyond the specified time frame.
The transitional relief is not available to grandfathered plans because these plans are not subject to most of the ACA’s market reforms. According to President Obama, the transition relief is an extension of the grandfathered plan rules to additional health insurance policies.
Learn more about transition relief and notice requirements here.
ABOUT EXPERIENT HEALTH:
For years, Experient Health, a Virginia Farm Bureau company, has helped people find the right insurance coverage and get the most for their health care dollars. The Richmond, Va.-based group is dedicated to providing high quality health insurance options to customers in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. As a result, its consultants, with an average of more than 20 years experience, are intimately familiar with the states’ provider networks, products and regulations.
Representing the top national insurance carriers, Experient Health provides customers with multiple policy options designed to meet wellness needs and financial requirements.
Experient Health grew out of Virginia Farm Bureau and is a “hometown agency” in that it operates a network of more than 100 offices. However, it boasts the resources and technology of larger firms.
Consultants are available online, via phone and through their offices.
Learn more at http://www.experienthealth.com, utilize the online health insurance quote calculator or contact a consultant directly at 855.677.6580. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.
Richmond, Va. (PRWEB) November 30, 2013
The White House announced a transition policy for canceled health plans, according to Experient Health, the health insurance arm of the Virginia Farm Bureau. Experient Health detailed the announcements and explained its effects in its latest post in a Blog series on health care reform.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes key reforms that create new coverage standards for health insurance policies, beginning in 2014. For example, effective for 2014 plan years, the ACA imposes new modified community rating standards and requires individual and small group policies to cover a comprehensive set of benefits.
Over the last few months, millions of Americans received notices informing them that their health insurance plans are being canceled because they do not comply with the ACA’s reforms.
President Obama has received criticism that these cancellations go against his assurances that if consumers have a plan that they like, they can keep it. Both Republican and Democrat members of Congress have been advocating changes to the ACA to resolve the cancellation issue.
Responding to pressure from consumers and Congress, on Nov. 14, 2013, President Obama announced a new transition policy for 2014. Under the new policy, individuals and small businesses whose coverage has been canceled (or would be canceled) because it does not meet the ACA’s standards may be able to re-enroll or stay on their coverage for an additional year.
However, this one-year reprieve may not be available to all consumers. Because the insurance market is primarily regulated at the state level, state governors or insurance commissioners will have to allow for the transition relief. Also, health insurance issuers are not required to follow the transition relief and renew plans, and have expressed concern that the change could disrupt the new risk pool under the federal and state Health Insurance Marketplaces.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined the transition policy in a letter to state insurance commissioners.
For 2014, health insurance issuers may choose to continue coverage that would otherwise be terminated or canceled due to the ACA’s reforms, and affected individuals and small business may choose to re-enroll in the coverage.
Under this transitional policy, health insurance coverage in the individual or small group market that is renewed for a policy year starting between Jan. 1, 2014, and Oct. 1, 2014 (and associated group health plans of small businesses), will not be considered to be out of compliance with specified ACA reforms if certain conditions are met.
According to HHS, it will consider the impact of the transition relief in assessing whether to extend it beyond the specified time frame.
The transitional relief is not available to grandfathered plans because these plans are not subject to most of the ACA’s market reforms. According to President Obama, the transition relief is an extension of the grandfathered plan rules to additional health insurance policies.
Learn more about transition relief and notice requirements here.
ABOUT EXPERIENT HEALTH:
For years, Experient Health, a Virginia Farm Bureau company, has helped people find the right insurance coverage and get the most for their health care dollars. The Richmond, Va.-based group is dedicated to providing high quality health insurance options to customers in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. As a result, its consultants, with an average of more than 20 years experience, are intimately familiar with the states’ provider networks, products and regulations.
Representing the top national insurance carriers, Experient Health provides customers with multiple policy options designed to meet wellness needs and financial requirements.
Experient Health grew out of Virginia Farm Bureau and is a “hometown agency” in that it operates a network of more than 100 offices. However, it boasts the resources and technology of larger firms.
Consultants are available online, via phone and through their offices.
Learn more at http://www.experienthealth.com, utilize the online health insurance quote calculator or contact a consultant directly at 855.677.6580. Reported by PRWeb 1 day ago.
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Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on Missing Open Enrollment
What happens if you miss open enrollment for marketplaces and QHPs?
Park City, UT (PRWEB) November 30, 2013
Today, Zane Benefits, the number one online small business health benefits solution, published new information on missing open enrollment.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, one big change brought on by the Affordable Care Act is that individual health insurance plans will have open enrollment periods -- set times when people can buy a qualified health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace, or outside the Marketplace from an insurer or agent.
The first open enrollment period to buy a qualified health plan is happening now, running October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.
Missing open enrollment and not enrolling in a health plan by March 31, 2014 means that the opportunity to buy coverage for the year is likely over - unless there is a significant change in circumstance.
Missing the deadline means a penalty for not having insurance will likely go into effect. In 2014, the penalty is $95 per person up to a maximum of three times that amount for a family ($285), or 1% of household income if greater. The penalties increase in 2015 and 2016.
What are the 'Significant Changes'?· An individual or a dependent loses minimum essential coverage
· An individual gains a dependent or become a dependent through marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption
· An individual was not previously a citizen, national, or lawfully present individual, and gained such status
· An individual is newly eligible or newly ineligible for the premium tax credits or you have a change in eligibility for cost-sharing reductions, regardless of enrollment in a qualified health plan
· An individual gains access to new qualified health plans as a result of a permanent move
· An individual is a Native American Indian
Click here to read the full article.
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About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHealth") for defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about Zane Benefits, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.
Park City, UT (PRWEB) November 30, 2013
Today, Zane Benefits, the number one online small business health benefits solution, published new information on missing open enrollment.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, one big change brought on by the Affordable Care Act is that individual health insurance plans will have open enrollment periods -- set times when people can buy a qualified health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace, or outside the Marketplace from an insurer or agent.
The first open enrollment period to buy a qualified health plan is happening now, running October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.
Missing open enrollment and not enrolling in a health plan by March 31, 2014 means that the opportunity to buy coverage for the year is likely over - unless there is a significant change in circumstance.
Missing the deadline means a penalty for not having insurance will likely go into effect. In 2014, the penalty is $95 per person up to a maximum of three times that amount for a family ($285), or 1% of household income if greater. The penalties increase in 2015 and 2016.
What are the 'Significant Changes'?· An individual or a dependent loses minimum essential coverage
· An individual gains a dependent or become a dependent through marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption
· An individual was not previously a citizen, national, or lawfully present individual, and gained such status
· An individual is newly eligible or newly ineligible for the premium tax credits or you have a change in eligibility for cost-sharing reductions, regardless of enrollment in a qualified health plan
· An individual gains access to new qualified health plans as a result of a permanent move
· An individual is a Native American Indian
Click here to read the full article.
--
About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHealth") for defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about Zane Benefits, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 20 hours ago.
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Agency: Administration 'on track' for website goal
Tech experts continued working on the problem-plagued Obamacare website on Saturday, the self-imposed deadline to get the portal for enrolling in the President's signature health care reforms working properly for most users.
An official with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Saturday the administration was "on track to meet (its) stated goal for the site to work for the vast majority of users"--- a promise Obama and other officials have been making for weeks-- and another CMS official said the site is "performing well" but more updates are needed.
The administration's goal includes making sure the website can handle 50,000 users at any given time and 800,000 users per day, a vast improvement from the breakdowns, error messages and lengthy delays that occurred when the site was launched on October 1.
However, the website was down late Friday night through early Saturday morning for maintenance, and will go dark overnight Saturday for more scheduled maintenance checks, according to CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille.
Her statement in a blog posting indicated the administration was struggling to get the necessary changes completed by the stated target of Saturday, the end of November.
"Last night's maintenance window allowed a successful installation of new servers to support a critical system database which is already allowing more users to move through that part of the system more quickly than before," Bataille's posting said. "The site is performing well today with low overall error rates and response times despite heavier than usual weekend traffic."
More hardware upgrades and software fixes would take place Saturday night into Sunday morning "as part of a planned set of improvements to improve speed and reduce errors," Bataille's posting said.
The administration scheduled a briefing on the status of the website for 9 a.m. ET Sunday, a day later than it had previously indicated such a conference call might take place.
The botched launch of the HealthCare.gov site opened President Barack Obama and Democrats to fierce attacks led by conservative Republicans against the 2010 Affordable Care Act that passed with no GOP support.
In pledging to fix the website problems by November 30, officials emphasized it would not be a relaunch of the entire system and they warned that users may still experience some problems.
But the pressure is on, because another stumble -- after recent revelations of policy cancellations and premium increases for some under the reforms known as Obamacare -- would further weaken public trust in the administration's ability to implement the law intended to help millions of uninsured Americans get coverage.
Continued problems also would provide more ammunition for Republicans seeking to dismantle the reforms they consider unworkable and the ultimate example of big government run amok.
What's their 'stated goal'?
According to Jeff Zients, a former administration official brought in to lead efforts to fix the website, success would mean that 800,000 people can successfully visit HealthCare.gov each day, with up to 50,000 of them online at the same time.
He told reporters at a White House briefing on Tuesday that teams working 24/7 still were making improvements intended to boost capacity to handle an expected surge in visitors with the end of November deadline.
"What we are comfortable with is that the 800,000 consumer visits a day will handle the demand across the coming months," Zients said.
It better. Republicans already are declaring the website and the sweeping health law a failure.
While the website exposed a serious flaw in executing the program and was a political embarrassment, Obama's poll numbers have slid sharply over individual policy cancellations that disproved his repeated refrain when selling the program publicly that people could keep their coverage if they preferred.
"We've been down this road before as officials looked us in the eye for months, pledging to the American people that everything was 'on track' and we now know with the chaos behind the scenes that it was 'on track' for disaster," said a statement Friday by GOP Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "What reason do we have to believe things will be different now?"
GOP quiet on holiday weekend
Republicans were largely quiet Saturday, as the month came to an end. Few made statements about the deadline, though many lawmakers were out of pocket because of the holiday weekend.
Those who did comment on the deadline seemed to shift focus away from the website and back onto the Affordable Care Act, itself.
When asked if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had a comment, his office sent a statement the GOP leader made in early November.
"Americans are far less concerned about a website than they are about the availability and affordability of their health care," McConnell said. "The White House has tried to dismiss stories about folks losing insurance by saying they had lousy plans to begin with, and that those Americans should be happy that the government is now forcing them to get a different one. But what so many have discovered is that Obamacare is actually worse."
Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota who chairs the Senate Republican Conference, argued Americans will continue to face problems with the health care reforms "Regardless of whether the website is fixed by the administration's revised deadline."
"These are problems that no IT specialist working through the Thanksgiving holiday can fix," he added.
Obama confident of health reform legacy
For his part, Obama sounded confident of the eventual success of both the website and the reforms he championed and pushed through Congress with no Republican votes, telling ABC in an interview broadcast Friday that providing the security of health care to millions of Americans "is going to be a legacy I am extraordinarily proud of."
Problems continue to plague the system, and technology experts have questioned if the fixes being deployed by hundreds of government workers, outside contractors and specialists can get it functioning smoothly this weekend.
Luke Chung, president of Virginia-based software developer FMS Inc., called the administration's prediction that HealthCare.gov would work at 80% capacity on or around November 30 an impractical threshold in the software world.
"I don't know how to build something that's only 80% complete," Chung told CNN. "I don't even understand how that works."
The White House briefing led by Zients provided previously unknown details about the extent of the efforts to resolve the website problems.
He described a frenetic operation involving hundreds of workers in and around Washington.
The top priority is to make sure consumers can use HealthCare.gov to enroll in health exchanges that serve as the marketplace for private insurers participating in Obamacare, Zients said.
He described twice-daily conference calls and a 24-hour open line to allow for constant interaction for scores of computer programmers working for a dozen contractors to interact day and night.
"Ruthless prioritization"
"The point of these calls is we don't have an hour or a minute to waste, and therefore we need to make sure that there is ruthless prioritization at all times as to what matters most, that there's real-time reaction if something unexpected happened, someone hit a roadblock on a fix," Zients said.
The "ruthless prioritization" Zients mentioned means that much of the system supporting the HealthCare.gov site -- the "back end" part for making payments and interacting with insurance companies -- still was being built.
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for the insurance trade group America's Health Insurance Plans, said that "there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure that enrollments can be done and processed accurately."
Zients said more than 300 computer "bugs" have been fixed so far in a continuing process.
"Inevitably, as more and more users use the system -- which they are every day -- we find some new ones," he added. "But for the most part, they're not nearly as significant as the original bugs."
At the same time, he warned that demand could exceed capacity at times, especially if people rush to the site starting Saturday to sign up.
To deal with that, Zients said a new "customer-friendly queuing system" will notify visitors of time to come back at the front of the line.
However, it was unclear what information -- if any -- the administration will provide to demonstrate how the website performs.
Officials have sophisticated programs that monitor second-by-second use of HealthCare.gov, but they have limited information made public so far to one monthly summary of overall enrollment figures.
Delay for small businesses
Some problems have proved insurmountable. The administration announced Wednesday that the website will be unable to enroll small businesses online for another year.
Small businesses can enroll in other ways in the special small business system known as SHOP, but problems with HealthCare.gov have prevented their online enrollment so far.
It was the third delay of the SHOP Marketplace component of the website, this time until November 2014.
Republicans pounced on the news, with House Speaker John Boehner urging Obama to delay implementation of the entire law.
"This law has been an absolute disaster, leaving us to ask, 'What's next?' " the Ohio Republican said in a statement. "If the President won't repeal it, he should at least delay the entire law before it wreaks any more havoc on American families and small businesses as well as our economy."
Website woes aside, a new CNN/ORC International poll released Wednesday showed a majority of Americans believe the current Obamacare problems can be solved, and the figures for overall support and opposition remain little changed from a month ago.
Website crucial to success
A properly functioning HealthCare.gov is crucial to implementing the most vital provisions of the Affordable Care Act that require people to have health coverage.
In theory, the law would create large pools of younger, healthier participants whose premiums would help offset the cost of providing care for older policy holders who use the health care system more.
The program must convince younger people who might be less inclined to pay for coverage they don't think they need.
The GOP opposition targets the entire health care law, not just the website woes, as the ultimate example of big government overreach.
Initial enrollment figures lower
Enrollment figures for the first month after the opening of the new insurance exchanges were much lower than initially expected. But some states are now reporting stronger numbers.
According to a CNN count based on available figures, a little more than 200,000 people have signed up for Obamacare -- either through the national system or networks set up in 14 states and the District of Columbia.
In addition, more than 370,000 have signed up for Medicaid under state programs expanded through the health care reforms, the CNN count shows.
The enrollment period runs until March 31, and officials have said the target for the first year was 7 million people. To ensure they have coverage starting on January 1, consumers must sign up by December 23, the administration recently announced.
Chung, the software expert, cited December 23 as the most significant deadline, noting that demand would be huge because people by nature wait until the last minute.
Success for the website would be determined by both the number of users as well as how long they are in the system, Chung said, comparing it to a highway on which 50,000 people traveling 60 mph is smooth traffic while the same number going 10 mph is a jam.
For its part, the administration advised people to shop on HealthCare.gov at low-traffic times, which it described as weekday mornings and evenings or on weekends.
"There are 23 shopping days in December (for coverage starting January 1, 2014). No need to rush," Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius advised Friday on the Huffington Post website. Reported by Click Orlando 9 hours ago.
An official with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Saturday the administration was "on track to meet (its) stated goal for the site to work for the vast majority of users"--- a promise Obama and other officials have been making for weeks-- and another CMS official said the site is "performing well" but more updates are needed.
The administration's goal includes making sure the website can handle 50,000 users at any given time and 800,000 users per day, a vast improvement from the breakdowns, error messages and lengthy delays that occurred when the site was launched on October 1.
However, the website was down late Friday night through early Saturday morning for maintenance, and will go dark overnight Saturday for more scheduled maintenance checks, according to CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille.
Her statement in a blog posting indicated the administration was struggling to get the necessary changes completed by the stated target of Saturday, the end of November.
"Last night's maintenance window allowed a successful installation of new servers to support a critical system database which is already allowing more users to move through that part of the system more quickly than before," Bataille's posting said. "The site is performing well today with low overall error rates and response times despite heavier than usual weekend traffic."
More hardware upgrades and software fixes would take place Saturday night into Sunday morning "as part of a planned set of improvements to improve speed and reduce errors," Bataille's posting said.
The administration scheduled a briefing on the status of the website for 9 a.m. ET Sunday, a day later than it had previously indicated such a conference call might take place.
The botched launch of the HealthCare.gov site opened President Barack Obama and Democrats to fierce attacks led by conservative Republicans against the 2010 Affordable Care Act that passed with no GOP support.
In pledging to fix the website problems by November 30, officials emphasized it would not be a relaunch of the entire system and they warned that users may still experience some problems.
But the pressure is on, because another stumble -- after recent revelations of policy cancellations and premium increases for some under the reforms known as Obamacare -- would further weaken public trust in the administration's ability to implement the law intended to help millions of uninsured Americans get coverage.
Continued problems also would provide more ammunition for Republicans seeking to dismantle the reforms they consider unworkable and the ultimate example of big government run amok.
What's their 'stated goal'?
According to Jeff Zients, a former administration official brought in to lead efforts to fix the website, success would mean that 800,000 people can successfully visit HealthCare.gov each day, with up to 50,000 of them online at the same time.
He told reporters at a White House briefing on Tuesday that teams working 24/7 still were making improvements intended to boost capacity to handle an expected surge in visitors with the end of November deadline.
"What we are comfortable with is that the 800,000 consumer visits a day will handle the demand across the coming months," Zients said.
It better. Republicans already are declaring the website and the sweeping health law a failure.
While the website exposed a serious flaw in executing the program and was a political embarrassment, Obama's poll numbers have slid sharply over individual policy cancellations that disproved his repeated refrain when selling the program publicly that people could keep their coverage if they preferred.
"We've been down this road before as officials looked us in the eye for months, pledging to the American people that everything was 'on track' and we now know with the chaos behind the scenes that it was 'on track' for disaster," said a statement Friday by GOP Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "What reason do we have to believe things will be different now?"
GOP quiet on holiday weekend
Republicans were largely quiet Saturday, as the month came to an end. Few made statements about the deadline, though many lawmakers were out of pocket because of the holiday weekend.
Those who did comment on the deadline seemed to shift focus away from the website and back onto the Affordable Care Act, itself.
When asked if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had a comment, his office sent a statement the GOP leader made in early November.
"Americans are far less concerned about a website than they are about the availability and affordability of their health care," McConnell said. "The White House has tried to dismiss stories about folks losing insurance by saying they had lousy plans to begin with, and that those Americans should be happy that the government is now forcing them to get a different one. But what so many have discovered is that Obamacare is actually worse."
Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota who chairs the Senate Republican Conference, argued Americans will continue to face problems with the health care reforms "Regardless of whether the website is fixed by the administration's revised deadline."
"These are problems that no IT specialist working through the Thanksgiving holiday can fix," he added.
Obama confident of health reform legacy
For his part, Obama sounded confident of the eventual success of both the website and the reforms he championed and pushed through Congress with no Republican votes, telling ABC in an interview broadcast Friday that providing the security of health care to millions of Americans "is going to be a legacy I am extraordinarily proud of."
Problems continue to plague the system, and technology experts have questioned if the fixes being deployed by hundreds of government workers, outside contractors and specialists can get it functioning smoothly this weekend.
Luke Chung, president of Virginia-based software developer FMS Inc., called the administration's prediction that HealthCare.gov would work at 80% capacity on or around November 30 an impractical threshold in the software world.
"I don't know how to build something that's only 80% complete," Chung told CNN. "I don't even understand how that works."
The White House briefing led by Zients provided previously unknown details about the extent of the efforts to resolve the website problems.
He described a frenetic operation involving hundreds of workers in and around Washington.
The top priority is to make sure consumers can use HealthCare.gov to enroll in health exchanges that serve as the marketplace for private insurers participating in Obamacare, Zients said.
He described twice-daily conference calls and a 24-hour open line to allow for constant interaction for scores of computer programmers working for a dozen contractors to interact day and night.
"Ruthless prioritization"
"The point of these calls is we don't have an hour or a minute to waste, and therefore we need to make sure that there is ruthless prioritization at all times as to what matters most, that there's real-time reaction if something unexpected happened, someone hit a roadblock on a fix," Zients said.
The "ruthless prioritization" Zients mentioned means that much of the system supporting the HealthCare.gov site -- the "back end" part for making payments and interacting with insurance companies -- still was being built.
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for the insurance trade group America's Health Insurance Plans, said that "there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure that enrollments can be done and processed accurately."
Zients said more than 300 computer "bugs" have been fixed so far in a continuing process.
"Inevitably, as more and more users use the system -- which they are every day -- we find some new ones," he added. "But for the most part, they're not nearly as significant as the original bugs."
At the same time, he warned that demand could exceed capacity at times, especially if people rush to the site starting Saturday to sign up.
To deal with that, Zients said a new "customer-friendly queuing system" will notify visitors of time to come back at the front of the line.
However, it was unclear what information -- if any -- the administration will provide to demonstrate how the website performs.
Officials have sophisticated programs that monitor second-by-second use of HealthCare.gov, but they have limited information made public so far to one monthly summary of overall enrollment figures.
Delay for small businesses
Some problems have proved insurmountable. The administration announced Wednesday that the website will be unable to enroll small businesses online for another year.
Small businesses can enroll in other ways in the special small business system known as SHOP, but problems with HealthCare.gov have prevented their online enrollment so far.
It was the third delay of the SHOP Marketplace component of the website, this time until November 2014.
Republicans pounced on the news, with House Speaker John Boehner urging Obama to delay implementation of the entire law.
"This law has been an absolute disaster, leaving us to ask, 'What's next?' " the Ohio Republican said in a statement. "If the President won't repeal it, he should at least delay the entire law before it wreaks any more havoc on American families and small businesses as well as our economy."
Website woes aside, a new CNN/ORC International poll released Wednesday showed a majority of Americans believe the current Obamacare problems can be solved, and the figures for overall support and opposition remain little changed from a month ago.
Website crucial to success
A properly functioning HealthCare.gov is crucial to implementing the most vital provisions of the Affordable Care Act that require people to have health coverage.
In theory, the law would create large pools of younger, healthier participants whose premiums would help offset the cost of providing care for older policy holders who use the health care system more.
The program must convince younger people who might be less inclined to pay for coverage they don't think they need.
The GOP opposition targets the entire health care law, not just the website woes, as the ultimate example of big government overreach.
Initial enrollment figures lower
Enrollment figures for the first month after the opening of the new insurance exchanges were much lower than initially expected. But some states are now reporting stronger numbers.
According to a CNN count based on available figures, a little more than 200,000 people have signed up for Obamacare -- either through the national system or networks set up in 14 states and the District of Columbia.
In addition, more than 370,000 have signed up for Medicaid under state programs expanded through the health care reforms, the CNN count shows.
The enrollment period runs until March 31, and officials have said the target for the first year was 7 million people. To ensure they have coverage starting on January 1, consumers must sign up by December 23, the administration recently announced.
Chung, the software expert, cited December 23 as the most significant deadline, noting that demand would be huge because people by nature wait until the last minute.
Success for the website would be determined by both the number of users as well as how long they are in the system, Chung said, comparing it to a highway on which 50,000 people traveling 60 mph is smooth traffic while the same number going 10 mph is a jam.
For its part, the administration advised people to shop on HealthCare.gov at low-traffic times, which it described as weekday mornings and evenings or on weekends.
"There are 23 shopping days in December (for coverage starting January 1, 2014). No need to rush," Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius advised Friday on the Huffington Post website. Reported by Click Orlando 9 hours ago.
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The Public is Invited to a Health Insurance Marketplace Information and Enrollment Session Hosted by ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions
ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is hosting informational sessions designed to educate the public on enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace and provide assistance to seniors with Medicare questions.
Bedford Park, Illinois (PRWEB) November 30, 2013
ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is hosting educational programs on: Saturday, December 7th at 10a.m.; Wednesday, December 11 at 6p.m.; and Monday, December 16th at 1p.m. The sessions will be held at the company’s corporate headquarters located just one mile south of Midway Airport at 6640 S. Cicero, Bedford Park, Illinois.
Following the educational meeting, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions will have their licensed and certified agents available to meet with individuals one-on-one to help them determine what subsidy they may qualify for, explain benefits, address any Medicare questions, help them shop for a plan that best meets their individual needs and if the client is interested, enroll for coverage. Available at each seminar will be representatives from their multi-lingual staff who can assist customers whose primary language is English, Spanish, Polish, or Arabic. ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions has contracts with both regional and national health insurance carriers.
In addition, any local municipality interested in having ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions host an educational seminar in their town can contact the company’s Marketing Department at (708) 475-6033. Company representatives are flexible and if desired, will come to a location that is convenient to town residents.
About ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions:
Headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is not affiliated with any governmental agency. Available nationwide, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is a licensed, certified and multilingual Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment firm created to assist individuals and families obtain health insurance. The company’s website ACAenroll.com and our Call Center are available to assist enrollees through the entire enrollment process. Go to http://www.ACAenroll.com or contact 1-800-342-0631 for more information. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
Bedford Park, Illinois (PRWEB) November 30, 2013
ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is hosting educational programs on: Saturday, December 7th at 10a.m.; Wednesday, December 11 at 6p.m.; and Monday, December 16th at 1p.m. The sessions will be held at the company’s corporate headquarters located just one mile south of Midway Airport at 6640 S. Cicero, Bedford Park, Illinois.
Following the educational meeting, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions will have their licensed and certified agents available to meet with individuals one-on-one to help them determine what subsidy they may qualify for, explain benefits, address any Medicare questions, help them shop for a plan that best meets their individual needs and if the client is interested, enroll for coverage. Available at each seminar will be representatives from their multi-lingual staff who can assist customers whose primary language is English, Spanish, Polish, or Arabic. ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions has contracts with both regional and national health insurance carriers.
In addition, any local municipality interested in having ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions host an educational seminar in their town can contact the company’s Marketing Department at (708) 475-6033. Company representatives are flexible and if desired, will come to a location that is convenient to town residents.
About ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions:
Headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is not affiliated with any governmental agency. Available nationwide, ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions is a licensed, certified and multilingual Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment firm created to assist individuals and families obtain health insurance. The company’s website ACAenroll.com and our Call Center are available to assist enrollees through the entire enrollment process. Go to http://www.ACAenroll.com or contact 1-800-342-0631 for more information. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
↧
IRS Targeting Of ObamaCare Critics Should Be A Bigger Story
In response to Banana republic update: cancer patient who complained about ObamaCare gets an IRS audit:
Don't forget C. Steven Tucker, the health insurance broker who helped Bill Elliott, the cancer patient, keep his insurance. Tucker, a Chicago based "health policy wonk," appeared on some radio talk shows to talk about Elliott's case, and others like it. He too is being audited - all the way back to 2003.
This seems beyond coincidental given this IRS's history of targeting this president's political adversaries. Chairman Issa might want to look into how these audits were decided upon.
Tucker listed and thanked the conservative bloggers who have been covering what should be a major story.
“BigFurHat” at IownTheWorld.com The trendsetter who started it all.
Daniel Greenfield of FrontPageMag.com
Arlen Williams of WeAreGulagBound.com who pushed the story out anddetailed it’s movement via Storify.
“Zip” of WeaselZippers.net
Fran Eaton at Illinois Review
Jim Hoft of GatewayPundit.com
“Dr John” of FloppingAces.net
Madeleine Morgenstern at The Blaze
Nation.FoxNews.com
Tom Tillison at BizPacReview.com
Thomas Lifson at AmericanThinker.com
Mark Steyn at NationalReview.com
John Hawkins at RightWingNews.com
PoorRichardsNews.com
FreeRepublic.com
Sard at TheRightPlanet.com
PatDollard.com
Patterico.com
The Right Pundit at HapBlog.com
Michael Becker at TheMinorityReport.com
Deb at NiceDeb.com
Even now, Obama's praetorian guard protects him when it counts.
Reported by Breitbart 7 hours ago.
Don't forget C. Steven Tucker, the health insurance broker who helped Bill Elliott, the cancer patient, keep his insurance. Tucker, a Chicago based "health policy wonk," appeared on some radio talk shows to talk about Elliott's case, and others like it. He too is being audited - all the way back to 2003.
This seems beyond coincidental given this IRS's history of targeting this president's political adversaries. Chairman Issa might want to look into how these audits were decided upon.
Tucker listed and thanked the conservative bloggers who have been covering what should be a major story.
“BigFurHat” at IownTheWorld.com The trendsetter who started it all.
Daniel Greenfield of FrontPageMag.com
Arlen Williams of WeAreGulagBound.com who pushed the story out anddetailed it’s movement via Storify.
“Zip” of WeaselZippers.net
Fran Eaton at Illinois Review
Jim Hoft of GatewayPundit.com
“Dr John” of FloppingAces.net
Madeleine Morgenstern at The Blaze
Nation.FoxNews.com
Tom Tillison at BizPacReview.com
Thomas Lifson at AmericanThinker.com
Mark Steyn at NationalReview.com
John Hawkins at RightWingNews.com
PoorRichardsNews.com
FreeRepublic.com
Sard at TheRightPlanet.com
PatDollard.com
Patterico.com
The Right Pundit at HapBlog.com
Michael Becker at TheMinorityReport.com
Deb at NiceDeb.com
Even now, Obama's praetorian guard protects him when it counts.
Reported by Breitbart 7 hours ago.
↧
'Political Witch Hunt': ObamaCare Critics Got Their Audit Letters On The Same Day
In response to IRS Targeting Of ObamaCare Critics Should Be A Bigger Story:
Arlen Williams of the Gulag Bound blog interviewed C. Steven Tucker about the audits.
Incredibly, according to Tucker, he and Elliot, (the cancer patient) got their audit letters on the very same day.
*Tucker:* "That date was Monday November 25th. Bill’s letter informed him that is being officially audited in the spring of 2014 whereas the IRS sent me a letter simply demanding $4,000 from me for the year 2003 and $2,000 from the year 2010 which must be received at their offices no later than December 26, 2013. Merry Christmas from the IRS."
*Williams:* "So, Happy Thanksgiving from the New Washington D.C., O Sovereign United States Citizen patriots in the way of Obamacare Marxofascism, right? How do you feel about this?"
*Tucker:* "I am disgusted that the IRS can pull numbers out of thin air, demand the money in a month’s time and that there is no statute of limitations. 2003? For God’s sake! Worse yet, my taxes are prepared each quarter by a professional CPA. I pay on time and I do not get ‘tax refunds’ and this is the thanks I get for doing the right thing each and every quarter year after year. And Bill worked for the government during the tax year in question so the government agency he worked for would assure that his IRS fillings were accurate. So this whole thing is a political witch hunt. There is a reason that Lois Lerner pleaded the 5th during congressional testimony and their is a reason that the IRS chief counsel repeated the phrase “I do not recall’ more than 80 times during his congressional testimony. This is tyranny. Plain and simple."
*Williams:* "The news of it is getting all over the patriot blogosphere. Anything you believe is important to add, or correct, by this moment?"
*Tucker:* "No. The New Media has done a phenomenal job of covering this story. I am eternally grateful for their due diligence and for their willingness to consistently perform the job that Barack Obama’s Praetorian Guard media refuses to do."
*Williams: *"I’m expecting to see you on network TV and radio about this, any updates there?"
*Tucker:* "I have sent the follow up information to Megyn Kelly and hope that she has either Bill or I on her show for an important follow up to this story. The American people need to know that there are existing Federal laws that protect them from having their health insurance terminated when they are sick. Barack Obama has been lying to the American people for 4 years. Public law 104-191 (HIPAA) section 2742 disallows any health insurer from canceling your health insurance coverage when you are sick. That law was passed by congress and signed by president Clinton in 1997."
Read the entire interview, here.
Reported by Breitbart 6 hours ago.
Arlen Williams of the Gulag Bound blog interviewed C. Steven Tucker about the audits.
Incredibly, according to Tucker, he and Elliot, (the cancer patient) got their audit letters on the very same day.
*Tucker:* "That date was Monday November 25th. Bill’s letter informed him that is being officially audited in the spring of 2014 whereas the IRS sent me a letter simply demanding $4,000 from me for the year 2003 and $2,000 from the year 2010 which must be received at their offices no later than December 26, 2013. Merry Christmas from the IRS."
*Williams:* "So, Happy Thanksgiving from the New Washington D.C., O Sovereign United States Citizen patriots in the way of Obamacare Marxofascism, right? How do you feel about this?"
*Tucker:* "I am disgusted that the IRS can pull numbers out of thin air, demand the money in a month’s time and that there is no statute of limitations. 2003? For God’s sake! Worse yet, my taxes are prepared each quarter by a professional CPA. I pay on time and I do not get ‘tax refunds’ and this is the thanks I get for doing the right thing each and every quarter year after year. And Bill worked for the government during the tax year in question so the government agency he worked for would assure that his IRS fillings were accurate. So this whole thing is a political witch hunt. There is a reason that Lois Lerner pleaded the 5th during congressional testimony and their is a reason that the IRS chief counsel repeated the phrase “I do not recall’ more than 80 times during his congressional testimony. This is tyranny. Plain and simple."
*Williams:* "The news of it is getting all over the patriot blogosphere. Anything you believe is important to add, or correct, by this moment?"
*Tucker:* "No. The New Media has done a phenomenal job of covering this story. I am eternally grateful for their due diligence and for their willingness to consistently perform the job that Barack Obama’s Praetorian Guard media refuses to do."
*Williams: *"I’m expecting to see you on network TV and radio about this, any updates there?"
*Tucker:* "I have sent the follow up information to Megyn Kelly and hope that she has either Bill or I on her show for an important follow up to this story. The American people need to know that there are existing Federal laws that protect them from having their health insurance terminated when they are sick. Barack Obama has been lying to the American people for 4 years. Public law 104-191 (HIPAA) section 2742 disallows any health insurer from canceling your health insurance coverage when you are sick. That law was passed by congress and signed by president Clinton in 1997."
Read the entire interview, here.
Reported by Breitbart 6 hours ago.
↧
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MNsure has caused tears, frustration, and, yes, even joy in its users
A couple in St. Louis Park expects to save more than $12,000 next year thanks to coverage available on MNsure, the state's new health insurance exchange.
Reported by TwinCities.com 4 hours ago.
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Clinicians Can Now Find Affordable Insurance for Their Staff According to Marketing Expert Nitin Chhoda
One of Obamacare’s goal is for small business owners to find health insurance benefits for their staff just like businesses with bigger operations that may have more profit and revenue compared to a smaller private physical therapy office. Nitin Chhoda, a licensed physical therapist and international private practice marketing expert recently released the options in finding clinical staff health insurance benefits.
Denville, NJ (PRWEB) December 01, 2013
“With the increasing costs of premiums, deductibles and co-pays, many employees will consider the cost and coverage acceptable, rather than having no coverage at all. Practice owners, even those in physical therapy practice, should be noted though that these aren’t considered full insurance benefits plans and don’t meet the government mandated criteria,” said Chhoda.
According to the Affordable Health Care Act or Obamacare, businesses who do not supply health insurance options to their staff face serious fines. However, many business owners in all industries are choosing to pay the penalty in order to avoid providing health insurance options for their employees.
This method causes the risk of losing better staff that could do great things for the small business. There are also some businesses that are not opting out of paying the penalty and experimenting with a variety of healthcare options to retain staff and comply with the law.
Chhoda added that when experimenting with different insurance plans, clinicians should know that the act does not require spouses to be covered. The assumption with the Affordable Health Care Act is that spouses will find their own coverage through their own employer. More information can be easily processed with the help of an EMR system.
According to Chhoda, the Internal Revenue Service proposed rules to take effect in 2014 which indicates that an employer-sponsored plan is affordable if it doesn’t exceed 9.5 percent of the individual’s household income. This means that practice owners have more parameters to know which health insurance packages and options are right for their staff without spending too much money for unnecessary healthcare plans.
He noted that there are definitely many options for physical therapy business owners to choose from and many factors to consider when choosing a plan that is right for their staff.
The most important thing to remember is that there are options that are right for the staff and right for the business. Doing extensive research could be better for the business and maintaining the best staff is important in order to keep striving to find healthcare plans that fit everyone’s needs.
Chhoda’s office can be reached by phone at 201-535-4475. For more information, visit the website at http://www.emrnews.com.
About Nitin Chhoda
Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and an entrepreneur. He is the author of "Physical Therapy Marketing For The New Economy" and "Marketing for Physical Therapy Clinics" and is a prolific speaker, writer and creator of products and systems to streamline medical billing and coding, electronic medical records, health care practice management and marketing to increase referrals. He has been featured in numerous industry magazines, major radio and broadcast media, and is the founder of Referral Ignition training systems and the annual Private Practice Summit. Chhoda speaks extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Asia. He is also the creator of the Therapy Newsletter and Clinical Contact, both web-based services to help private practices improve communication with patients, delivery better quality of care and boost patient retention. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.
Denville, NJ (PRWEB) December 01, 2013
“With the increasing costs of premiums, deductibles and co-pays, many employees will consider the cost and coverage acceptable, rather than having no coverage at all. Practice owners, even those in physical therapy practice, should be noted though that these aren’t considered full insurance benefits plans and don’t meet the government mandated criteria,” said Chhoda.
According to the Affordable Health Care Act or Obamacare, businesses who do not supply health insurance options to their staff face serious fines. However, many business owners in all industries are choosing to pay the penalty in order to avoid providing health insurance options for their employees.
This method causes the risk of losing better staff that could do great things for the small business. There are also some businesses that are not opting out of paying the penalty and experimenting with a variety of healthcare options to retain staff and comply with the law.
Chhoda added that when experimenting with different insurance plans, clinicians should know that the act does not require spouses to be covered. The assumption with the Affordable Health Care Act is that spouses will find their own coverage through their own employer. More information can be easily processed with the help of an EMR system.
According to Chhoda, the Internal Revenue Service proposed rules to take effect in 2014 which indicates that an employer-sponsored plan is affordable if it doesn’t exceed 9.5 percent of the individual’s household income. This means that practice owners have more parameters to know which health insurance packages and options are right for their staff without spending too much money for unnecessary healthcare plans.
He noted that there are definitely many options for physical therapy business owners to choose from and many factors to consider when choosing a plan that is right for their staff.
The most important thing to remember is that there are options that are right for the staff and right for the business. Doing extensive research could be better for the business and maintaining the best staff is important in order to keep striving to find healthcare plans that fit everyone’s needs.
Chhoda’s office can be reached by phone at 201-535-4475. For more information, visit the website at http://www.emrnews.com.
About Nitin Chhoda
Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and an entrepreneur. He is the author of "Physical Therapy Marketing For The New Economy" and "Marketing for Physical Therapy Clinics" and is a prolific speaker, writer and creator of products and systems to streamline medical billing and coding, electronic medical records, health care practice management and marketing to increase referrals. He has been featured in numerous industry magazines, major radio and broadcast media, and is the founder of Referral Ignition training systems and the annual Private Practice Summit. Chhoda speaks extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Asia. He is also the creator of the Therapy Newsletter and Clinical Contact, both web-based services to help private practices improve communication with patients, delivery better quality of care and boost patient retention. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.
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Should Only Seniors Be Allowed to Drive on the Highways?
Dear America: I hate to say "I told you so." But I told you so.
I said, waaaaaaay back in 2010, that anyone who wants Medicare coverage should be able to buy it. I was right. *And I'm still right.*
If you agree, then congratulations -- you're right, too.
Think about it: Has anyone ever complained about being canceled by Medicare? *No.*
Has anyone ever complained that the Medicare website crashed? *No.*
Has anyone ever complained that Medicare refused him coverage? *No.*
Has anyone ever complained that Medicare cut him off when his care got too expensive? *No.*
Has anyone ever whined that Medicare is socialism? Well, yes. In 1961, Ronald Reagan said that Medicare would bring on a socialist dictatorship. As if.
The real problem that we have is not that some website doesn't work. The real problem is not that Obamacare somehow is compelling employers to drop health coverage (because it's not). The real problem is not that some insurance companies are canceling some policies -- when has that ever not happened?
Here are the real problems:
1. A lot of Americans can't afford health insurance.
2. In many areas of the country, the health insurance companies and the hospitals are monopolies or duopolies, and they control the market.
3. The health insurance companies charge as much as they can, they provide as little care as they can get away with, and they call the difference "profit." They have a conflict of interest with you. They make more money by denying you the care that you need to stay healthy, or even alive.
*But there is a solution to these problems.* In fact, some Americans have an excellent healthcare system, which is overwhelmingly popular. It provides care from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, and from sea to shining sea. It's cheap and efficient -- 97 percent of the cost goes directly into providing care. We've invested billions of dollars to make it comprehensive and universal. You may have heard of this healthcare system -- it's called "Medicare."
And, weirdly, we open it only to seniors and the disabled. It's as if we were to say that the minimum age to drive on interstate highways were 65 years old. It's as if we were to say that only seniors could go to public school.
*That's just nuts.*
What would it cost for everyone else? I'm glad you asked. According to the experts, for full coverage, including the prescription drug benefit, Medicare would cost barely $100 a month for children, and less than $500 a month for people in their sixties. Which is much less than my coverage costs -- and, I would venture to say, probably yours, too (unless you're on it already).
*Which is why, back in 2010, I introduced a simple, four-page bill, the 'Medicare You Can Buy Into Act.'* The bill allows Americans to buy into Medicare at cost. If you want Medicare, and you pay for it, you've got it. Period. End of story.
I signed up more than 80 co-sponsors in the House, in two weeks.
Poll after poll found that a "public option" like this was very popular with the public, too. Politifact did a survey of surveys, and found that in 28 polls, the average result was 57 percent in favor, and 38 percent against -- despite massive negative propaganda spewed out by the Chamber of Commerce.
Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act passed without a Medicare buy-in, or any public option. King Lieberman (D-Aetna) vetoed it. That kept private insurance companies exclusively in charge of health coverage for people under 65. We can all see how well that's turned out. These large and profitable corporations have cancelled policies and raised rates at will. *They are demanding the power to continue to discriminate against women, to deny coverage to people with existing illnesses, and to pull the plug -- literally -- on anyone whose coverage becomes too expensive.*
And is it really their fault? "No one can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13.) We are asking the health insurance companies to serve two masters: patients, and profit. *They can't do it. No one can.*
But the health insurance companies have demonstrated that they are good at one thing -- fooling voters. They spent $2 million against me in 2010 in the Great Democratic Apocalypse, and they got rid of me.
Temporarily. *And now, I'm back.*
So after I won reelection last year, one of the first bills that I introduced was that same old four-page bill, the 'Medicare You Can Buy Into Act' (H.R. 500). Because we need it. Me and you. *We need it.*
If we open up Medicare to everyone who can pay for it, private insurance premiums will drop, because health insurance companies with local monopolies will face much-needed competition. And, to compete, those companies will have to offer better policies -- policies with more comprehensive coverage, with a broader network, and better service.
Now that's what I call true health care reform. That's what I'm talking about.
We want a public option. We need a public option. And that public option already exists -- we just need to open it up, to all Americans.
Here is our cheer: *"I want Medicare. You want Medicare. We all want Medicare."*
Let's make it happen. Sign the petition today: *WeWantMedicare.com.*
It is never too late to do the right thing.
L'chaim - To Life,
Rep. Alan Grayson
"The greatest wealth is health." - Virgil
P.S. Since lobbyists own Washington, D.C., only a movement, a committed corps of can-do citizens, can achieve a public option. If you want to be part of that movement, then you need to demand a public option, and ask your friends, family and co-workers to do the same. Start by sharing this with your friends by e-mail, and on *Facebook* and *Twitter.* Reported by Huffington Post 1 day ago.
I said, waaaaaaay back in 2010, that anyone who wants Medicare coverage should be able to buy it. I was right. *And I'm still right.*
If you agree, then congratulations -- you're right, too.
Think about it: Has anyone ever complained about being canceled by Medicare? *No.*
Has anyone ever complained that the Medicare website crashed? *No.*
Has anyone ever complained that Medicare refused him coverage? *No.*
Has anyone ever complained that Medicare cut him off when his care got too expensive? *No.*
Has anyone ever whined that Medicare is socialism? Well, yes. In 1961, Ronald Reagan said that Medicare would bring on a socialist dictatorship. As if.
The real problem that we have is not that some website doesn't work. The real problem is not that Obamacare somehow is compelling employers to drop health coverage (because it's not). The real problem is not that some insurance companies are canceling some policies -- when has that ever not happened?
Here are the real problems:
1. A lot of Americans can't afford health insurance.
2. In many areas of the country, the health insurance companies and the hospitals are monopolies or duopolies, and they control the market.
3. The health insurance companies charge as much as they can, they provide as little care as they can get away with, and they call the difference "profit." They have a conflict of interest with you. They make more money by denying you the care that you need to stay healthy, or even alive.
*But there is a solution to these problems.* In fact, some Americans have an excellent healthcare system, which is overwhelmingly popular. It provides care from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, and from sea to shining sea. It's cheap and efficient -- 97 percent of the cost goes directly into providing care. We've invested billions of dollars to make it comprehensive and universal. You may have heard of this healthcare system -- it's called "Medicare."
And, weirdly, we open it only to seniors and the disabled. It's as if we were to say that the minimum age to drive on interstate highways were 65 years old. It's as if we were to say that only seniors could go to public school.
*That's just nuts.*
What would it cost for everyone else? I'm glad you asked. According to the experts, for full coverage, including the prescription drug benefit, Medicare would cost barely $100 a month for children, and less than $500 a month for people in their sixties. Which is much less than my coverage costs -- and, I would venture to say, probably yours, too (unless you're on it already).
*Which is why, back in 2010, I introduced a simple, four-page bill, the 'Medicare You Can Buy Into Act.'* The bill allows Americans to buy into Medicare at cost. If you want Medicare, and you pay for it, you've got it. Period. End of story.
I signed up more than 80 co-sponsors in the House, in two weeks.
Poll after poll found that a "public option" like this was very popular with the public, too. Politifact did a survey of surveys, and found that in 28 polls, the average result was 57 percent in favor, and 38 percent against -- despite massive negative propaganda spewed out by the Chamber of Commerce.
Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act passed without a Medicare buy-in, or any public option. King Lieberman (D-Aetna) vetoed it. That kept private insurance companies exclusively in charge of health coverage for people under 65. We can all see how well that's turned out. These large and profitable corporations have cancelled policies and raised rates at will. *They are demanding the power to continue to discriminate against women, to deny coverage to people with existing illnesses, and to pull the plug -- literally -- on anyone whose coverage becomes too expensive.*
And is it really their fault? "No one can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13.) We are asking the health insurance companies to serve two masters: patients, and profit. *They can't do it. No one can.*
But the health insurance companies have demonstrated that they are good at one thing -- fooling voters. They spent $2 million against me in 2010 in the Great Democratic Apocalypse, and they got rid of me.
Temporarily. *And now, I'm back.*
So after I won reelection last year, one of the first bills that I introduced was that same old four-page bill, the 'Medicare You Can Buy Into Act' (H.R. 500). Because we need it. Me and you. *We need it.*
If we open up Medicare to everyone who can pay for it, private insurance premiums will drop, because health insurance companies with local monopolies will face much-needed competition. And, to compete, those companies will have to offer better policies -- policies with more comprehensive coverage, with a broader network, and better service.
Now that's what I call true health care reform. That's what I'm talking about.
We want a public option. We need a public option. And that public option already exists -- we just need to open it up, to all Americans.
Here is our cheer: *"I want Medicare. You want Medicare. We all want Medicare."*
Let's make it happen. Sign the petition today: *WeWantMedicare.com.*
It is never too late to do the right thing.
L'chaim - To Life,
Rep. Alan Grayson
"The greatest wealth is health." - Virgil
P.S. Since lobbyists own Washington, D.C., only a movement, a committed corps of can-do citizens, can achieve a public option. If you want to be part of that movement, then you need to demand a public option, and ask your friends, family and co-workers to do the same. Start by sharing this with your friends by e-mail, and on *Facebook* and *Twitter.* Reported by Huffington Post 1 day ago.
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Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on Small Business Health Insurance
Small Groups Have 5 Main Options for Health Insurance Options in 2014
Park City, Utah (PRWEB) December 01, 2013
Today, Zane Benefits, the number one online small business health benefits solution, published new information on small business health insurance.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, for many employers and brokers, the Affordable Care Act can feel like a moving target. However, for small groups with less than 50 employees who are not mandated to provide health insurance in 2015, the options for small group health insurance are a little more clear. Looking into 2014, small groups have five main options for health insurance:
1) Individual Health Insurance
The first option is a relatively simple approach, yet it achieves results: direct employees to the individual health insurance Marketplace in the state where they reside to purchase individual health insurance. Eligible employees can access discounts on their premiums via the individual health insurance tax credits.
If the small group would like to contribute to employee's premium expenses, they can use defined contribution allowances to reimburse employees for the unsubsidized portion of their premium. For many small groups, this is the most cost-effective solution because the small group can contribute any amount and individual health insurance costs, on average, less than small group plans.
2) SHOP Marketplace
The SHOP Marketplaces are new state- or federally-run exchanges for small businesses. Small group health plans are available on the Marketplaces and could be a good coverage option for employers with 50 or fewer employees if they can meet certain requirements.
3) Private Health Exchange
Like defined contribution, the term "private exchange" is one of the biggest buzzwords of the year. With a private exchange the small group gives employees a set contribution to use towards a menu of plan options. The plan options can be individual- or group-based. Private exchanges are a type of a defined contribution strategy.
4) Co-Op
According to Zane Benefits’ website joining a co-op for health insurance is a more traditional approach for small groups. The idea is the co-op increases buying power and spreads the risk to a larger group. Each co-op is structured differently, and whether the co-op offers better insurance rates than the small group could get on the open market or SHOP depends on regional insurance underwriting laws and the co-op itself.
5) Private Small Group Plan
Purchasing a private small group plan is also still an option for small groups. Small groups may find more options and carriers to choose from on the private market as compared to the SHOP, where some states only have one or two plans to choose from.
Click here to read the full article.
--
About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHealth") for defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about Zane Benefits, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.
Park City, Utah (PRWEB) December 01, 2013
Today, Zane Benefits, the number one online small business health benefits solution, published new information on small business health insurance.
According to Zane Benefits’ website, for many employers and brokers, the Affordable Care Act can feel like a moving target. However, for small groups with less than 50 employees who are not mandated to provide health insurance in 2015, the options for small group health insurance are a little more clear. Looking into 2014, small groups have five main options for health insurance:
1) Individual Health Insurance
The first option is a relatively simple approach, yet it achieves results: direct employees to the individual health insurance Marketplace in the state where they reside to purchase individual health insurance. Eligible employees can access discounts on their premiums via the individual health insurance tax credits.
If the small group would like to contribute to employee's premium expenses, they can use defined contribution allowances to reimburse employees for the unsubsidized portion of their premium. For many small groups, this is the most cost-effective solution because the small group can contribute any amount and individual health insurance costs, on average, less than small group plans.
2) SHOP Marketplace
The SHOP Marketplaces are new state- or federally-run exchanges for small businesses. Small group health plans are available on the Marketplaces and could be a good coverage option for employers with 50 or fewer employees if they can meet certain requirements.
3) Private Health Exchange
Like defined contribution, the term "private exchange" is one of the biggest buzzwords of the year. With a private exchange the small group gives employees a set contribution to use towards a menu of plan options. The plan options can be individual- or group-based. Private exchanges are a type of a defined contribution strategy.
4) Co-Op
According to Zane Benefits’ website joining a co-op for health insurance is a more traditional approach for small groups. The idea is the co-op increases buying power and spreads the risk to a larger group. Each co-op is structured differently, and whether the co-op offers better insurance rates than the small group could get on the open market or SHOP depends on regional insurance underwriting laws and the co-op itself.
5) Private Small Group Plan
Purchasing a private small group plan is also still an option for small groups. Small groups may find more options and carriers to choose from on the private market as compared to the SHOP, where some states only have one or two plans to choose from.
Click here to read the full article.
--
About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits was founded in 2006 to provide a revolutionized SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) administration platform ("ZaneHealth") for defined contribution health care. The flagship software provides a 100% paperless administration experience to small businesses and insurance professionals that want to offer better health benefits without a traditional group health insurance plan at lower costs. For more information about Zane Benefits, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 23 hours ago.
↧
↧
Obamacare Website On Track To Work For 'Vast Majority' Of People, Administration Says
HealthCare.gov is greatly improved after more than a month of intense repair work, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama said Sunday.
Software and hardware upgrades put in place since late October have been effective, said Jeffrey Zients, the Obama aide overseeing the repair effort to the online portal for health insurance enrollment in more than 30 states.
"HealthCare.gov on Dec. 1 is night and day from where it was on Oct. 1," when the health insurance exchanges debuted, Zients said during a conference call with reporters Sunday. "While we still have work to do, we've made significant progress with HealthCare.gov working smoothly for the vast majority of consumers." The website can now handle 50,000 users at a time, which was the original goal, and 800,000 visitors a day, he said.
The early consumer experience of Obamacare's health insurance exchanges was characterized by crashes, error messages, long wait times and faulty information, threatening the rollout of Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.
December could now prove a crucial month for the first year of enrollment via the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces. Consumers who want health coverage in effect on Jan. 1 have until just Dec. 23 to select a health plan via the exchanges -- including many whose current policies don't meet Obamacare standards and can't be renewed for next year.
A crush of consumers scrambling to get health insurance for the new year could test the rigor of the administration's fixes, and Zients said traffic to HealthCare.gov spiked over the Thanksgiving holiday compared a typical weekend, although he didn't provide figures.
*HuffPost readers:* Do you plan to try HealthCare.gov or a state-run health insurance exchange website in December? Tell us about your experience -- email jeffrey.young@huffingtonpost.com. Please include your phone number if you're willing to be interviewed.
Poor enrollment during the first month, when only about 106,000 people were able to enroll in private insurance via the exchanges, left the administration far from the 7 million projected to sign up by the end of the enrollment period on March 31. During that same time period, 1.5 million people had completed applications and more than 200,000 were pending, suggesting that demand for coverage is high.
Almost 20,000 people signed up using HealthCare.gov between Nov. 24 and Nov. 26, the most so far in a three-day stretch, The New York Times reported Friday. And enrollment in some state-run health insurance exchanges, such as those in California, Kentucky, New York and Washington state, accelerated during November.
Health insurance consumers who failed to get through the application and enrollment process during the first two months of the sign-up period will be the administration's first targets, Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during the Sunday conference call.
"While we certainly want to and will invite new consumers into the site, our focus is on making sure that those who have tried to enroll in the past several weeks are able to successfully complete that process," Bataille said.
A large majority of visitors to HealthCare.gov should now be able to submit an application for health coverage and enroll into a plan online, Bataille said. "About five weeks ago, we were seeing only about 30 percent of consumers with information on hand able to complete the application successfully online. Today, we're now more in the zone of about 80 percent of users being able to do that same process successfully," she said.
The remaining consumers can still use alternate methods to enroll, such as the health insurance exchanges' telephone hotline, Bataille said. And people can purchase health plans directly from insurers or from agents and brokers, although tax credits to cut the cost of coverage are available only via the exchanges in most cases. The administration is testing a system that would let people apply for tax credits directly through 16 insurers in Florida, Ohio and Texas, and the early results are "encouraging," Bataille said.
In late October, the White House placed Zients in charge of the overhaul effort, and the Department of Health and Human Services appointed Quality Software Services Inc., a unit of the health insurance company UnitedHealth Group that is one of the exchanges' main architects, as lead contractor. Since that time, administration officials have maintained that HealthCare.gov would work for most users by the end of November.
Zients said that goal has been met and emphasized that work on improving the website and its underlying technology will continue through March. The team repairing HealthCare.gov made more than 400 software fixes and upgraded the hardware supporting the system using a "punch list" of identified problems.
"Over the last five weeks, we've made substantial progress working through the punch list. We've executed hundreds of software fixes and hardware upgrades and the site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity with greatly improved performance," Zients said.
HealthCare.gov's failure rate has dropped from about 6 percent in October to 0.75 percent as of Friday, according to a report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday. The website was up and running 95 percent of the time as of Saturday, not counting scheduled maintenance, like an 11-hour period this weekend when applications and enrollments were offline -- an improvement from a low of 43 percent two months ago, the report says.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services
Source: Department of Health and Human Services
Some problems remain unresolved and consumers and health insurance companies will still face difficulties, Bataille said. "With any web project, there is not a magic moment but a process of continual improvement over time and we will continue to make enhances in the days, weeks and months ahead," she said.
Health insurance companies have reported receiving incorrect information about their new customers since the beginning of the enrollment period and the administration is still working to fix these issues. Problems with the data HealthCare.gov sends to insurance issuers were a major part of the administration's push over recent says, Bataille said.
Whether these flaws have been adequately addressed -- and whether consumers can be confident their enrollments are complete and their coverage will be effective next month -- won't be fully clear until more people sign up, Bataille said.
"We need to see increased volumes of traffic and transactions, which we anticipate seeing over the course of the weekdays, to make sure that we get information from issuers and see the success rates they are having with the fixes put in place this week," Bataille said.
*Read the progress report on HealthCare.gov:*
Healthcare.gov Progress Report Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.
Software and hardware upgrades put in place since late October have been effective, said Jeffrey Zients, the Obama aide overseeing the repair effort to the online portal for health insurance enrollment in more than 30 states.
"HealthCare.gov on Dec. 1 is night and day from where it was on Oct. 1," when the health insurance exchanges debuted, Zients said during a conference call with reporters Sunday. "While we still have work to do, we've made significant progress with HealthCare.gov working smoothly for the vast majority of consumers." The website can now handle 50,000 users at a time, which was the original goal, and 800,000 visitors a day, he said.
The early consumer experience of Obamacare's health insurance exchanges was characterized by crashes, error messages, long wait times and faulty information, threatening the rollout of Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.
December could now prove a crucial month for the first year of enrollment via the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces. Consumers who want health coverage in effect on Jan. 1 have until just Dec. 23 to select a health plan via the exchanges -- including many whose current policies don't meet Obamacare standards and can't be renewed for next year.
A crush of consumers scrambling to get health insurance for the new year could test the rigor of the administration's fixes, and Zients said traffic to HealthCare.gov spiked over the Thanksgiving holiday compared a typical weekend, although he didn't provide figures.
*HuffPost readers:* Do you plan to try HealthCare.gov or a state-run health insurance exchange website in December? Tell us about your experience -- email jeffrey.young@huffingtonpost.com. Please include your phone number if you're willing to be interviewed.
Poor enrollment during the first month, when only about 106,000 people were able to enroll in private insurance via the exchanges, left the administration far from the 7 million projected to sign up by the end of the enrollment period on March 31. During that same time period, 1.5 million people had completed applications and more than 200,000 were pending, suggesting that demand for coverage is high.
Almost 20,000 people signed up using HealthCare.gov between Nov. 24 and Nov. 26, the most so far in a three-day stretch, The New York Times reported Friday. And enrollment in some state-run health insurance exchanges, such as those in California, Kentucky, New York and Washington state, accelerated during November.
Health insurance consumers who failed to get through the application and enrollment process during the first two months of the sign-up period will be the administration's first targets, Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said during the Sunday conference call.
"While we certainly want to and will invite new consumers into the site, our focus is on making sure that those who have tried to enroll in the past several weeks are able to successfully complete that process," Bataille said.
A large majority of visitors to HealthCare.gov should now be able to submit an application for health coverage and enroll into a plan online, Bataille said. "About five weeks ago, we were seeing only about 30 percent of consumers with information on hand able to complete the application successfully online. Today, we're now more in the zone of about 80 percent of users being able to do that same process successfully," she said.
The remaining consumers can still use alternate methods to enroll, such as the health insurance exchanges' telephone hotline, Bataille said. And people can purchase health plans directly from insurers or from agents and brokers, although tax credits to cut the cost of coverage are available only via the exchanges in most cases. The administration is testing a system that would let people apply for tax credits directly through 16 insurers in Florida, Ohio and Texas, and the early results are "encouraging," Bataille said.
In late October, the White House placed Zients in charge of the overhaul effort, and the Department of Health and Human Services appointed Quality Software Services Inc., a unit of the health insurance company UnitedHealth Group that is one of the exchanges' main architects, as lead contractor. Since that time, administration officials have maintained that HealthCare.gov would work for most users by the end of November.
Zients said that goal has been met and emphasized that work on improving the website and its underlying technology will continue through March. The team repairing HealthCare.gov made more than 400 software fixes and upgraded the hardware supporting the system using a "punch list" of identified problems.
"Over the last five weeks, we've made substantial progress working through the punch list. We've executed hundreds of software fixes and hardware upgrades and the site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity with greatly improved performance," Zients said.
HealthCare.gov's failure rate has dropped from about 6 percent in October to 0.75 percent as of Friday, according to a report issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday. The website was up and running 95 percent of the time as of Saturday, not counting scheduled maintenance, like an 11-hour period this weekend when applications and enrollments were offline -- an improvement from a low of 43 percent two months ago, the report says.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services
Source: Department of Health and Human Services
Some problems remain unresolved and consumers and health insurance companies will still face difficulties, Bataille said. "With any web project, there is not a magic moment but a process of continual improvement over time and we will continue to make enhances in the days, weeks and months ahead," she said.
Health insurance companies have reported receiving incorrect information about their new customers since the beginning of the enrollment period and the administration is still working to fix these issues. Problems with the data HealthCare.gov sends to insurance issuers were a major part of the administration's push over recent says, Bataille said.
Whether these flaws have been adequately addressed -- and whether consumers can be confident their enrollments are complete and their coverage will be effective next month -- won't be fully clear until more people sign up, Bataille said.
"We need to see increased volumes of traffic and transactions, which we anticipate seeing over the course of the weekdays, to make sure that we get information from issuers and see the success rates they are having with the fixes put in place this week," Bataille said.
*Read the progress report on HealthCare.gov:*
Healthcare.gov Progress Report Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.
↧
Despite Promises, Relaunched Healthcare.gov Still Proves Dysfunctional
On Sunday, a day after the date on which the White House had promised Healthcare.gov would work for a "vast majority" of Americans, Jeffrey Zients, the man tasked with fixing the dysfunctional website, claimed it was "much more stable" and "reliably open for business."
"The bottom line is health care.gov on December first is night and day from where it was October first," he claimed, according to USA Today. "The site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity at greatly improved performance."
However, the site that even the New York Times has said is still a "work in progress" is not functioning for many people who need to enroll in Obamacare plans.
Though the Obama administration has claimed HealthCare.gov can now handle 50,000 users at the same time and around 800,000 users a day, Obama administration officials have said they want users to be on the site during non-peak hours and will suggest to users "a better time to return to the site" as they log on during "peak hours." Zients on Sunday reportedly warned there could still even be some outages as the Obama administration seeks to add seven million Americans to the various Obamacare programs. Many of those Americans looking for insurance will need to use the website to figure out if they qualify for subsidies.
Not only is 40% of the site still not fully built, NBC News also reported that the "back end" is also still not completely functional, which means "health insurers are still seeing enrollments that are duplicated and missing information." According to National Journal, "there is still about a 5 percent error rate in the information the site submits to insurance companies on behalf of those picking a new insurance plan. If the site is fixed but this problem is not, the problem could get worse. People would sign on, fill out the forms, and insurance companies would be flooded with bad data."
The site will reportedly run faster when users are browsing for plans than when they are actually trying to enroll in them, which is further exacerbated because the "so-called direct enrollment" feature is still barely working, meaning that a "vast majority" Americans are unable to go "directly to a health insurer's site and sign up with a small detour to HealthCare.gov to see if they are eligible for a subsidy."
The Wall Street Journal tried to apply on HealthCare.gov on Saturday and failed:
We’ve been trying to file an application for coverage here at MarketWatch, but we keep running into the same issues whenever we try to complete the online form. We’ve asked officials at Healthcare.gov, and they insist these aren’t prevalent for most applications to President Obama’s health-care overhaul.
So we’ve tried to to pursue other avenues to get at the same thing, but we keep hitting the same roadblock: “Sorry, our system is temporarily down.”
We were getting that message when we tried to fill out an application within the state of Arizona. A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid spokeswoman said at the time that the agency wasn’t seeing that issue for other users. We then tried another application using a different name through the state of Alabama. Still no dice.
Peter Morici, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and a Breitbart News contributor, reported that he knew many people who were having trouble completing their applications.
"Applications are in limbo — many already initiated are stalled, lost or otherwise can’t be completed. Applicants eligible for subsidies must use the website, or [HealthCare.gov] paper alternatives that can’t handle the volume, but the system often can’t verify applicants’ eligibility for aid,” Morici wrote. “Overall, the website still fails to complete the enrollment process for many who try.”
A look at the HealthCare.gov Facebook page showed Americans having all kinds of concerns and problems associated with a still malfunctioning site.
Becky McElhaney wrote on the Facebook page that she was "continuing to run into hub errors":
DO NOT tell me to call your 800 numbers. They read from a stinking manual and tell me that there still are "glitches" blah , blah blah.. I need to speak to people who can actually help! I have called numerous time and NO ONE knows anything but reads the list you have placed everywhere. I can read! we need real answers not this canned BS!
David Pinckard wrote:
Bs still my application is in pending when I signed up first week I'm not going to create an new email just because this Heath act is force upon us fix your site.
Eugenea Jones Bare had problems uploading documents:
I have been trying to upload documents to verify identity for over a month. Sucks that I will probably have to pay the fine all because some stupid website doesn't work.
Eli Samuels ran into the same problems:
Same old, Same old. Incomplete, redo, sign, incomplete, redo, sign, incomplete, etc., etc. But it's Saturday November 30th. The site is supposed to work today...BS
Laurel Lee had trouble even contacting a live representative:
Still not working for me. Started Nov 15. Put in information including income. Income info is gone stuck in same loop get to income and system down. Every day many times system down. It takes 20 minutes to save and continue each question. Calls and live chat no help. Today live chat says the system is overwhelmed or a glitch to call a rep. After calling a rep her advice keep trying at off peak hours like I haven't tried that. Any advice if it isn't fixed by deadline none... just keep trying so more people can waste their time trying to sign up and bog down the site.
Wendy Nichols has been stuck on a part of the website for two months:
Will the website get me out of the "stuck" place I have been in for 2 months? It says I am verified, I read my eligibility notice. That says buy a plan but I can't see plans. Another part says enrollment incomplete, but I can't get back to the enrollment! Tried to start a new registration, it says "try later"! How do I get to the next part to actually purchase health insurance? I have 15 days (or 23 if banner above is correct) to buy insurance or I will lapse for the New Year. Please help! Called & Live help did not advance me either. Will that work now too?
Philip Jay DeLoache is also running into the same problems he had two months ago:
still can't get anywhere with my states site. Exact problems as of 8 weeks ago except no longer any link to provide public feedback. Very interesting.
Ly Wenarsky had trouble even accessing his application on the website:
Has anyone gotten this error? I applied by phone and finally, two weeks later I can access my application online. I got my eligibility PDF for the tax credits with the amount and my status is coming up "verfied". But when I try to continue to enrollment, it states that an error occured while trying to review my tax credit information. What exactly does that mean? I'm about to start over with a new application but I'm afraid that will mess stuff up...Phone Help: USELESS.
According to Reuters, a group called "Migrant Health Promotion" also found plenty of glitches on the site, especially "at the later stages of the process where subsidies are calculated." A spokesperson for the group said there was "a barrier to paying the first month's premium" because "the problem came right at the point of paying."
In addition, Navigator groups that were supposed to help people sign up for Obamacare reportedly "had not planned for a busy weekend following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday," and "several groups" told Reuters that they "they would not be open."
Though Healthcare.gov supposedly "doubled its user capacity and eliminated many bugs," Jonathan Wu, a co-founder of the consumer financial website ValuePenguin, told Reuters that said that it would be far more difficult to gauge other metrics, like Zients's claim that the "uptime" is reportedly now at 95%,
White House officials "have said they expect the site will work for about 80 percent of users by Nov. 30." And even though Wu said "a 20 percent failure rate wouldn't be considered success in most industries," only those working on the website may actually know whether it is achieving even an 80-90% success rate. Wu told Reuters it was tough to independently measure how well the website is working "beyond the first step, where users choose a password and enter an email address."
"It prevents anyone from the outside from contradicting them," he said of the HealthCare.Gov chaos.
Reported by Breitbart 18 hours ago.
"The bottom line is health care.gov on December first is night and day from where it was October first," he claimed, according to USA Today. "The site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity at greatly improved performance."
However, the site that even the New York Times has said is still a "work in progress" is not functioning for many people who need to enroll in Obamacare plans.
Though the Obama administration has claimed HealthCare.gov can now handle 50,000 users at the same time and around 800,000 users a day, Obama administration officials have said they want users to be on the site during non-peak hours and will suggest to users "a better time to return to the site" as they log on during "peak hours." Zients on Sunday reportedly warned there could still even be some outages as the Obama administration seeks to add seven million Americans to the various Obamacare programs. Many of those Americans looking for insurance will need to use the website to figure out if they qualify for subsidies.
Not only is 40% of the site still not fully built, NBC News also reported that the "back end" is also still not completely functional, which means "health insurers are still seeing enrollments that are duplicated and missing information." According to National Journal, "there is still about a 5 percent error rate in the information the site submits to insurance companies on behalf of those picking a new insurance plan. If the site is fixed but this problem is not, the problem could get worse. People would sign on, fill out the forms, and insurance companies would be flooded with bad data."
The site will reportedly run faster when users are browsing for plans than when they are actually trying to enroll in them, which is further exacerbated because the "so-called direct enrollment" feature is still barely working, meaning that a "vast majority" Americans are unable to go "directly to a health insurer's site and sign up with a small detour to HealthCare.gov to see if they are eligible for a subsidy."
The Wall Street Journal tried to apply on HealthCare.gov on Saturday and failed:
We’ve been trying to file an application for coverage here at MarketWatch, but we keep running into the same issues whenever we try to complete the online form. We’ve asked officials at Healthcare.gov, and they insist these aren’t prevalent for most applications to President Obama’s health-care overhaul.
So we’ve tried to to pursue other avenues to get at the same thing, but we keep hitting the same roadblock: “Sorry, our system is temporarily down.”
We were getting that message when we tried to fill out an application within the state of Arizona. A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid spokeswoman said at the time that the agency wasn’t seeing that issue for other users. We then tried another application using a different name through the state of Alabama. Still no dice.
Peter Morici, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and a Breitbart News contributor, reported that he knew many people who were having trouble completing their applications.
"Applications are in limbo — many already initiated are stalled, lost or otherwise can’t be completed. Applicants eligible for subsidies must use the website, or [HealthCare.gov] paper alternatives that can’t handle the volume, but the system often can’t verify applicants’ eligibility for aid,” Morici wrote. “Overall, the website still fails to complete the enrollment process for many who try.”
A look at the HealthCare.gov Facebook page showed Americans having all kinds of concerns and problems associated with a still malfunctioning site.
Becky McElhaney wrote on the Facebook page that she was "continuing to run into hub errors":
DO NOT tell me to call your 800 numbers. They read from a stinking manual and tell me that there still are "glitches" blah , blah blah.. I need to speak to people who can actually help! I have called numerous time and NO ONE knows anything but reads the list you have placed everywhere. I can read! we need real answers not this canned BS!
David Pinckard wrote:
Bs still my application is in pending when I signed up first week I'm not going to create an new email just because this Heath act is force upon us fix your site.
Eugenea Jones Bare had problems uploading documents:
I have been trying to upload documents to verify identity for over a month. Sucks that I will probably have to pay the fine all because some stupid website doesn't work.
Eli Samuels ran into the same problems:
Same old, Same old. Incomplete, redo, sign, incomplete, redo, sign, incomplete, etc., etc. But it's Saturday November 30th. The site is supposed to work today...BS
Laurel Lee had trouble even contacting a live representative:
Still not working for me. Started Nov 15. Put in information including income. Income info is gone stuck in same loop get to income and system down. Every day many times system down. It takes 20 minutes to save and continue each question. Calls and live chat no help. Today live chat says the system is overwhelmed or a glitch to call a rep. After calling a rep her advice keep trying at off peak hours like I haven't tried that. Any advice if it isn't fixed by deadline none... just keep trying so more people can waste their time trying to sign up and bog down the site.
Wendy Nichols has been stuck on a part of the website for two months:
Will the website get me out of the "stuck" place I have been in for 2 months? It says I am verified, I read my eligibility notice. That says buy a plan but I can't see plans. Another part says enrollment incomplete, but I can't get back to the enrollment! Tried to start a new registration, it says "try later"! How do I get to the next part to actually purchase health insurance? I have 15 days (or 23 if banner above is correct) to buy insurance or I will lapse for the New Year. Please help! Called & Live help did not advance me either. Will that work now too?
Philip Jay DeLoache is also running into the same problems he had two months ago:
still can't get anywhere with my states site. Exact problems as of 8 weeks ago except no longer any link to provide public feedback. Very interesting.
Ly Wenarsky had trouble even accessing his application on the website:
Has anyone gotten this error? I applied by phone and finally, two weeks later I can access my application online. I got my eligibility PDF for the tax credits with the amount and my status is coming up "verfied". But when I try to continue to enrollment, it states that an error occured while trying to review my tax credit information. What exactly does that mean? I'm about to start over with a new application but I'm afraid that will mess stuff up...Phone Help: USELESS.
According to Reuters, a group called "Migrant Health Promotion" also found plenty of glitches on the site, especially "at the later stages of the process where subsidies are calculated." A spokesperson for the group said there was "a barrier to paying the first month's premium" because "the problem came right at the point of paying."
In addition, Navigator groups that were supposed to help people sign up for Obamacare reportedly "had not planned for a busy weekend following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday," and "several groups" told Reuters that they "they would not be open."
Though Healthcare.gov supposedly "doubled its user capacity and eliminated many bugs," Jonathan Wu, a co-founder of the consumer financial website ValuePenguin, told Reuters that said that it would be far more difficult to gauge other metrics, like Zients's claim that the "uptime" is reportedly now at 95%,
White House officials "have said they expect the site will work for about 80 percent of users by Nov. 30." And even though Wu said "a 20 percent failure rate wouldn't be considered success in most industries," only those working on the website may actually know whether it is achieving even an 80-90% success rate. Wu told Reuters it was tough to independently measure how well the website is working "beyond the first step, where users choose a password and enter an email address."
"It prevents anyone from the outside from contradicting them," he said of the HealthCare.Gov chaos.
Reported by Breitbart 18 hours ago.
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Obamacare and My Discontents
Actually, my first discontent is with the mainstream media. As others have noted, the art of journalism has devolved into thoughtless reporting of what people say, without evaluation of whether what is said is truthful, factual, or from a reliable source. Fairness has become letting each side say what it will, and treating each side as equally valid, or as equally culpable. Of course, this is not the case.
With Obamacare, reporters who aspire to a touch of journalism might do well to consider the following:
Obamacare will provide health insurance for about 30 million previously uninsured people. Is this a good thing? Undoubtedly, yes. Will it cost more? No. Routine medical exams and preventive health care definitely will be cheaper than emergency room health care.
Obamacare requires insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, who now either are denied coverage, or charged huge fees. Is this a good thing? Yes, as those who need health care will get it. Will it cost more? Yes. People with pre-existing conditions will require more service than the general population.
Obamacare eliminates annual or lifetime limits on benefits. Is this a good thing? Yes, for the small proportion of people with extraordinary health needs. Will it cost more? Yes, of course.
Obamacare eliminates gender discrimination in insurance rates. Is this a good thing? Yes. Will it cost more? Not likely, as rates will be set for the overall population to cover any differences in costs between the genders.
Obamacare provides that preventive health care services are included in base insurance rates, without extra charge. Is this a good thing? Yes. Will it cost more? No. Preventive health care lowers costs over time.
These five points are major elements of Obamacare. Those who oppose it should be required (1) to articulate truthful, factual and reliable arguments for their positions, and (2) to explain how they propose to achieve these five "good things" with reasonable alternatives.
Republican opposition to Obamacare has been consistent for over four years. However, is there a clear vision of what they would propose to replace it? Not yet. And if not, why aren't journalists demanding those proposals, or at least regularly noting their absence? If opposition to Obamacare is all there is in the Republican vision, then we have to ask if we want to return to an insurance system which leaves 30 million uninsured, denies insurance for those with pre-existing conditions, caps annual or lifetime benefits without regard to need, continues gender discrimination in rates, and abandons preventive health care in favor of expensive emergency room treatment. Is anyone really prepared to argue in favor of the old system?
My second discontent is with the apparent incompetence of the Obama administration. How could they have failed to implement the law effectively? It doesn't take a lot of research to uncover example after example of failure and cost-overruns in large-scale Federal software development. With this history, how could the administration fail to closely manage the web site programming? It is not simply that out-sourcing this project to the private sector was a mistake. Perhaps it was, but with Republicans pushing for years for the virtual elimination of in-house programming expertise in favor of out-sourcing, and with Democratic acquiescence, there is no way of telling whether government employees could have done better; there aren't enough Federal programmers left. It should be clear by now that the private sector isn't necessarily cheaper or smarter than civil servants. Isn't it time to consider rebuilding Federal expertise?
What is clear is that neither Obama, nor his staff, nor Sebelius, nor her staff, were paying enough attention to the details of the Web site development. It is not even clear whether there were enough people at hand with expertise in managing such contracts.
The web site can't be fixed in one month. I predict that will take many months to patch the programs to a reasonable level of functionality. The media will report the daily score of who is winning and who is losing, what is working and what is not. But in the bigger picture, achieving the five "good things" discussed above is far more important than the software failures along the way. Keeping our eyes on the goals is one way to overcome inept media, cynicism and opposition.
My third discontent transcends Obamacare. George H. W. Bush and his people were ruthless and smart in pushing through their agenda. They paid attention to detail. They were focused on the bottom line. They ignored distractions in pursuing their goals. Examples include executive orders promoting: pro-faith initiatives (EO 13198 and 13199); and anti-union provisions (EO 13201 and 13202)*; and withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, all in the early months of his first term. Obama pushed through Obamacare, a heavy lift to be sure, but what else?
In the long run, I suspect that Mr. Obama's time as President will be tagged with a lack of interest in following-through. Inspiring speeches are great. Inspiring results are greater. It takes a bottom line manager to deliver on promises. Perhaps Mr. Obama should hire a Chief Executive Officer to run his high priority domestic projects?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/2001-wbush.html. Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.
With Obamacare, reporters who aspire to a touch of journalism might do well to consider the following:
Obamacare will provide health insurance for about 30 million previously uninsured people. Is this a good thing? Undoubtedly, yes. Will it cost more? No. Routine medical exams and preventive health care definitely will be cheaper than emergency room health care.
Obamacare requires insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, who now either are denied coverage, or charged huge fees. Is this a good thing? Yes, as those who need health care will get it. Will it cost more? Yes. People with pre-existing conditions will require more service than the general population.
Obamacare eliminates annual or lifetime limits on benefits. Is this a good thing? Yes, for the small proportion of people with extraordinary health needs. Will it cost more? Yes, of course.
Obamacare eliminates gender discrimination in insurance rates. Is this a good thing? Yes. Will it cost more? Not likely, as rates will be set for the overall population to cover any differences in costs between the genders.
Obamacare provides that preventive health care services are included in base insurance rates, without extra charge. Is this a good thing? Yes. Will it cost more? No. Preventive health care lowers costs over time.
These five points are major elements of Obamacare. Those who oppose it should be required (1) to articulate truthful, factual and reliable arguments for their positions, and (2) to explain how they propose to achieve these five "good things" with reasonable alternatives.
Republican opposition to Obamacare has been consistent for over four years. However, is there a clear vision of what they would propose to replace it? Not yet. And if not, why aren't journalists demanding those proposals, or at least regularly noting their absence? If opposition to Obamacare is all there is in the Republican vision, then we have to ask if we want to return to an insurance system which leaves 30 million uninsured, denies insurance for those with pre-existing conditions, caps annual or lifetime benefits without regard to need, continues gender discrimination in rates, and abandons preventive health care in favor of expensive emergency room treatment. Is anyone really prepared to argue in favor of the old system?
My second discontent is with the apparent incompetence of the Obama administration. How could they have failed to implement the law effectively? It doesn't take a lot of research to uncover example after example of failure and cost-overruns in large-scale Federal software development. With this history, how could the administration fail to closely manage the web site programming? It is not simply that out-sourcing this project to the private sector was a mistake. Perhaps it was, but with Republicans pushing for years for the virtual elimination of in-house programming expertise in favor of out-sourcing, and with Democratic acquiescence, there is no way of telling whether government employees could have done better; there aren't enough Federal programmers left. It should be clear by now that the private sector isn't necessarily cheaper or smarter than civil servants. Isn't it time to consider rebuilding Federal expertise?
What is clear is that neither Obama, nor his staff, nor Sebelius, nor her staff, were paying enough attention to the details of the Web site development. It is not even clear whether there were enough people at hand with expertise in managing such contracts.
The web site can't be fixed in one month. I predict that will take many months to patch the programs to a reasonable level of functionality. The media will report the daily score of who is winning and who is losing, what is working and what is not. But in the bigger picture, achieving the five "good things" discussed above is far more important than the software failures along the way. Keeping our eyes on the goals is one way to overcome inept media, cynicism and opposition.
My third discontent transcends Obamacare. George H. W. Bush and his people were ruthless and smart in pushing through their agenda. They paid attention to detail. They were focused on the bottom line. They ignored distractions in pursuing their goals. Examples include executive orders promoting: pro-faith initiatives (EO 13198 and 13199); and anti-union provisions (EO 13201 and 13202)*; and withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, all in the early months of his first term. Obama pushed through Obamacare, a heavy lift to be sure, but what else?
In the long run, I suspect that Mr. Obama's time as President will be tagged with a lack of interest in following-through. Inspiring speeches are great. Inspiring results are greater. It takes a bottom line manager to deliver on promises. Perhaps Mr. Obama should hire a Chief Executive Officer to run his high priority domestic projects?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/2001-wbush.html. Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.
↧
Time to get back on the much-improved (we think) HealthCare.gov
*Time to get back on the much-improved (we think) HealthCare.gov*
Today was the government’s self-imposed deadline to get its famously messed-up health insurance portal, HealthCare.gov, working for “the vast majority of users.” In a morning press call, Jeffrey Zients, who’s been overseeing the crash repair effort, declared success.
“The site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity” of 50,000 users at a time and a minimum of 800,000 users a day, Zients said.
Back in mid-October, we said applicants should stay off the site for at least a month to give the government time to make repairs. The round-the-clock rescue effort seems to have work, Zients says. The site’s per-page error rate has plummeted from 6 percent to under 1 percent, and the average page-load time has dropped from a glacial 8 seconds to under a second, he says.
And the system is more stable. Back in October, it was only up and running around 43 percent of the time, compared to 95 percent now. In October the typical outage lasted several hours; now, with a new real-time monitoring system in place, outages are fixed in less than an hour, Zients says.
There’s still work to be done on the “back end” of the site, which transmits enrollment and subsidy data to insurers, Zients and Bataille said. But that’s beyond the purview or control of consumers, and time’s of the essence. If you want to have insurance in place by Jan. 1, you need to enroll by Dec. 23.
So, time to return and take your chances with HealthCare.gov. Here’s what you need to know if you’ve been avoiding the site completely, or tried and gave up back in October or early November.
*1. Registration now works.* “The team has re-architected the design of the registration and quadrupled its throughput,” Zients says. “In effect, we’ve widened the system’s on-ramp.” If you couldn’t register before, try again, preferably with a new user name and password. Software glitches that prevented customers from completing identity verification or recovering forgotten logins and passwords were fixed over the weekend and affected visitors should be getting emails with follow-up instructions, said Julie Bataille, a government spokeswoman.
*2. Having documents at hand will speed the process. *To complete an application, you’ll need information on your current insurance plan, your most recent tax return, or other financial information if you haven’t filed a return in the past. Bataille said that 80 percent of consumers who start an application prepared with this informationcan finish the job, compared to 30 percent in the bad old days.
*3. If you have to wait, you’ll get a special pass to come back in.* Zients said that at times there may be more visitors online than the site can handle. HealthCare.gov has created a new queueing system when this happens. You’ll be offered the opportunity to receive an email with information on when to come back, and a special link that will allow you to cut to the front of the line when you do.
Got a question for our health insurance expert? Ask it here; be sure to include the state you live in. And if you can't get enough health insurance news here, follow me on Twitter @NancyMetcalf.
*Health reform countdown: We are doing an article a day on the new health care law until Jan. 1, 2014, when it takes full effect. (Read the previous posts in the series.) To get health insurance advice tailored to your situation, use our Health Law Helper, below.*
*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2007-2013 Consumers Union of U.S.*
*Subscribe now!*
Subscribe to *ConsumerReports.org* for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products.
--------------------
Update your feed preferences Reported by Consumer Reports 16 hours ago.
Today was the government’s self-imposed deadline to get its famously messed-up health insurance portal, HealthCare.gov, working for “the vast majority of users.” In a morning press call, Jeffrey Zients, who’s been overseeing the crash repair effort, declared success.
“The site is now stable and operating at its intended capacity” of 50,000 users at a time and a minimum of 800,000 users a day, Zients said.
Back in mid-October, we said applicants should stay off the site for at least a month to give the government time to make repairs. The round-the-clock rescue effort seems to have work, Zients says. The site’s per-page error rate has plummeted from 6 percent to under 1 percent, and the average page-load time has dropped from a glacial 8 seconds to under a second, he says.
And the system is more stable. Back in October, it was only up and running around 43 percent of the time, compared to 95 percent now. In October the typical outage lasted several hours; now, with a new real-time monitoring system in place, outages are fixed in less than an hour, Zients says.
There’s still work to be done on the “back end” of the site, which transmits enrollment and subsidy data to insurers, Zients and Bataille said. But that’s beyond the purview or control of consumers, and time’s of the essence. If you want to have insurance in place by Jan. 1, you need to enroll by Dec. 23.
So, time to return and take your chances with HealthCare.gov. Here’s what you need to know if you’ve been avoiding the site completely, or tried and gave up back in October or early November.
*1. Registration now works.* “The team has re-architected the design of the registration and quadrupled its throughput,” Zients says. “In effect, we’ve widened the system’s on-ramp.” If you couldn’t register before, try again, preferably with a new user name and password. Software glitches that prevented customers from completing identity verification or recovering forgotten logins and passwords were fixed over the weekend and affected visitors should be getting emails with follow-up instructions, said Julie Bataille, a government spokeswoman.
*2. Having documents at hand will speed the process. *To complete an application, you’ll need information on your current insurance plan, your most recent tax return, or other financial information if you haven’t filed a return in the past. Bataille said that 80 percent of consumers who start an application prepared with this informationcan finish the job, compared to 30 percent in the bad old days.
*3. If you have to wait, you’ll get a special pass to come back in.* Zients said that at times there may be more visitors online than the site can handle. HealthCare.gov has created a new queueing system when this happens. You’ll be offered the opportunity to receive an email with information on when to come back, and a special link that will allow you to cut to the front of the line when you do.
Got a question for our health insurance expert? Ask it here; be sure to include the state you live in. And if you can't get enough health insurance news here, follow me on Twitter @NancyMetcalf.
*Health reform countdown: We are doing an article a day on the new health care law until Jan. 1, 2014, when it takes full effect. (Read the previous posts in the series.) To get health insurance advice tailored to your situation, use our Health Law Helper, below.*
*Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2007-2013 Consumers Union of U.S.*
*Subscribe now!*
Subscribe to *ConsumerReports.org* for expert Ratings, buying advice and reliability on hundreds of products.
--------------------
Update your feed preferences Reported by Consumer Reports 16 hours ago.
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↧
HealthCare.gov meets deadline for fixes, Obama administration says
The Obama administration said Sunday it had met its goal of improving the online health-insurance marketplace so that it works well for the vast majority of users but acknowledged it still has extensive work to do to buttress a troubled Web site that has marred the rollout of President Obama’s signature health-care initiative.
Reported by Washington Post 10 hours ago.
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Could Obamacare Have Been Better?
I've taken a fair amount of heat for a post that I wrote two weeks ago in this space titled "Obama's Gift to the Republicans."The gift is, of course, the Affordable Care Act. I wrote that it was botched not only in execution but in conception, as well as in the failure of White House leadership to pay close attention to the details long before healthcare.gov went live more than three years after the law was signed.The liberal critics have made four basic points against my argument, and a nice summary is contained in a piece posted Friday on the New Republic site co-authored by my old friend Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution and Harold Pollack of The University of Chicago. (Their piece is titled, "Now's Not the Time for Liberals to Say 'I Told You So' About Obama.")Point one is that that universal single-payer health insurance, the efficient alternative, was never in the cards legislatively. Point two is that if Obamacare is complicated, it's because the health system is complicated. The third point is that the Affordable Care Act, whatever its blemishes, is actually helping a lot of people.The final point is that the news is getting better -- the government is slowly getting the bugs out of the software, and in state-run exchanges such as those of California and Kentucky, large numbers of people are actually enrolling. Paul Krugman, in recent columns, makes many of the same arguments. A further tacit argument is that with Republicans gleefully hoping to destroy the program, the president, and the Democrats, this is no time for liberals to pile on.Let's take these one at a time.Could we have done better? If not Medicare-for-All in a single stroke, maybe incremental progress towards single payer?Readers may recall something called the Public Option. The idea, brainchild of Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker, was to create an option for people under age 65 to buy into Medicare. Since Medicare is so much more efficient than private insurance, over time the Medicare option (later re-branded the Public Option) would gradually drive out private insurance.A broad coalition of progressive groups backing Obama's reform (Health Care for America Now, or HCAN) insisted that the Public Option be part of the legislation and part of the deal. But when Obama decided to strike his own deal with the insurers and the drug companies instead, he threw the HCAN coalition under the bus. HCAN, though undercut, gamely continued to push for the legislation. (Why does that saga have such a familiar ring? But I digress.)The idea of a public mandate for people to buy private insurance, with a government subsidy for the poor and near-poor, was a conservative idea first pushed by the Heritage Foundation and first implemented by Republican governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. Federal alternatives, which would have moved us towards genuine universal and public health insurance, included:· The Public Option
· Extending Medicare to young adults and children
· Allowing people over 55 to buy into Medicare
· Expanding Medicaid (this, in limited form, became part of the ACA)With the exception of the last item, which the Supreme Court has made voluntary to the states, President Obama did not use his bully pulpit to exercise presidential leadership on behalf of more public alternatives. So the contention that Medicare for All, done incrementally, was never a legislative possibility, is just conjecture. We don't know because for the most part Obama didn't try. (He did half-heartedly raise the Medicare buy-in at 55, but didn't really push for it.)We do know, in response to point two, that the ACA makes a dizzying complex system that much more complex. And far from gradually displacing the inefficient central role of private insurance companies, the ACA reinforces that role.As for points three and four, it's true that the ACA will help a lot of people and that the cursed website healthcare.gov is slowly becoming operational. People with pre-existing conditions, people under 26, people who lose health insurance when they change or lose jobs, will all be helped. Small business will eventually be helped, too.But about half of America's uninsured will not be helped, and a lot of people who have employer-provided insurance will find their premiums rising. (The Wall Street Journal recently reported that because the mandate will cause more employees to sign up for company-provided insurance that they previously declined, employer costs will rise and businesses are planning to pass these higher costs along to all employees through higher premium-shares, deductibles and co-pays. Obama and Democrats are likely to get the blame.So even if Obamacare does help a lot of people, my question was and is: at what political cost and at what long-term cost to effective social insurance? Both the conception and the roll out of The Affordable Care Act will set back the effort of liberal Democrats to persuade regular people that government can be a force for the broad public good (Social Security has no such problems). The ACA is the social-policy equivalent of the Pentagon's apocryphal $800 hammer. Even with a great deal of catch-up and good luck, it will take a miracle for Obamacare not to be a net loser for Democrats in the 2014 mid-term elections.I don't buy the argument that liberal commentators like me have some kind of obligation to stand by their president when he messes up. As the terrific reporting of the New York Times has demonstrated, the failure to get the website up and running was substantially preventable and politically inept if not inexcusable.Nor do I accept the charge of piling on, or reveling in the role of I-told-you-so.Despite the debacle, I am with my friend Hank Aaron in hoping that they fix this mess, the sooner and more effectively the better -- because the failure of the ACA taints reformers who are more resolute in their progressivism than the Rube Goldberg imitation of liberal government that bears our president's name.
Robert Kuttner's new book is Debtors' Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility. He is co-editor of The American Prospect and a senior Fellow at Demos.
*Like Robert Kuttner on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RobertKuttner* Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
· Extending Medicare to young adults and children
· Allowing people over 55 to buy into Medicare
· Expanding Medicaid (this, in limited form, became part of the ACA)With the exception of the last item, which the Supreme Court has made voluntary to the states, President Obama did not use his bully pulpit to exercise presidential leadership on behalf of more public alternatives. So the contention that Medicare for All, done incrementally, was never a legislative possibility, is just conjecture. We don't know because for the most part Obama didn't try. (He did half-heartedly raise the Medicare buy-in at 55, but didn't really push for it.)We do know, in response to point two, that the ACA makes a dizzying complex system that much more complex. And far from gradually displacing the inefficient central role of private insurance companies, the ACA reinforces that role.As for points three and four, it's true that the ACA will help a lot of people and that the cursed website healthcare.gov is slowly becoming operational. People with pre-existing conditions, people under 26, people who lose health insurance when they change or lose jobs, will all be helped. Small business will eventually be helped, too.But about half of America's uninsured will not be helped, and a lot of people who have employer-provided insurance will find their premiums rising. (The Wall Street Journal recently reported that because the mandate will cause more employees to sign up for company-provided insurance that they previously declined, employer costs will rise and businesses are planning to pass these higher costs along to all employees through higher premium-shares, deductibles and co-pays. Obama and Democrats are likely to get the blame.So even if Obamacare does help a lot of people, my question was and is: at what political cost and at what long-term cost to effective social insurance? Both the conception and the roll out of The Affordable Care Act will set back the effort of liberal Democrats to persuade regular people that government can be a force for the broad public good (Social Security has no such problems). The ACA is the social-policy equivalent of the Pentagon's apocryphal $800 hammer. Even with a great deal of catch-up and good luck, it will take a miracle for Obamacare not to be a net loser for Democrats in the 2014 mid-term elections.I don't buy the argument that liberal commentators like me have some kind of obligation to stand by their president when he messes up. As the terrific reporting of the New York Times has demonstrated, the failure to get the website up and running was substantially preventable and politically inept if not inexcusable.Nor do I accept the charge of piling on, or reveling in the role of I-told-you-so.Despite the debacle, I am with my friend Hank Aaron in hoping that they fix this mess, the sooner and more effectively the better -- because the failure of the ACA taints reformers who are more resolute in their progressivism than the Rube Goldberg imitation of liberal government that bears our president's name.
Robert Kuttner's new book is Debtors' Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility. He is co-editor of The American Prospect and a senior Fellow at Demos.
*Like Robert Kuttner on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RobertKuttner* Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
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Meet Patrick Soon-Shiong, The LA Billionaire Reinventing Your Health Care
SANTA MONICA, Calif. –- You have been diagnosed with lung cancer.
There is a bewildering array of drugs, and combinations of drugs, that may shrink the tumor and prolong your life. Or they could make matters worse and give you terrible side effects.
In the past, this decision was mostly a crude guess, and it was often wrong.
No longer.
Now, your doctor draws blood and tissue, sends the information to a medical Big Data center that, in seconds, sequences your entire genome and, more importantly, maps how the proteins and the cells in your body are translating your specific DNA mutation into tumor cells. Your doctor then accesses a secure global “bank” of cancer DNA and tissue, and develops an individual cocktail for you, administering it with precise nanotechnology. You recover at home, monitored by high-information devices connected through transmitters to your doctor and clinic.
This is a glimpse of the future that Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong of Los Angeles has spent a decade imagining -- and is now rapidly assembling. The technology and science are all at hand, he says. It’s “just” a matter of putting them together into a logical and humane whole.
“We now can create a pathway to fight cancer to a standstill,” Soon-Shiong tells me in an interview here. “Not to cure it, per se, but to make it a survivable feature of the human condition.”
While he is focusing on cancer -- his specialty -- his basic idea is at once profound and simple: to map the molecular life of all of mankind in the service of better health for each individual. Linking research, treatment and careful monitoring is also the only way to control costs and create accountability in medical care, he says.
The question is whether his approach is practical, or even possible. Soon-Shiong is out to prove that it is -- and that it is, in fact, the only way forward.
While the most powerful man in Washington struggles to expand health insurance, the richest man in Los Angeles is methodically constructing a far more fundamental medical effort: a digitally enabled, science-driven, personalized health care system.
With Washington distracted by the insurance issue -- and with federal science and tech research hampered by “sequester” budget cuts -- privately funded efforts such as Soon-Shiong’s are all the more crucial.
President Barack Obama and Dr. Soon-Shiong share certain affinities, including vaulting ambition, a multicultural background, a knack for systematic thinking and an obsession with basketball.
But while Obama grapples with health care from the outside-in –- from government and politics –- Soon-Shiong works literally from the inside-out, guided by his own knowledge of everything from the molecular structure of cancer to the balance sheets of hospitals and the computing and fiber-optic requirements of Big Data.
In a secure warren of office suites on the west side of Los Angeles, the surgeon-turned-drug-magnate-turned-entrepreneur has laid out his health care vision in a series of floor-to-ceiling flowcharts.
The proprietary charts, and the money and medical experience behind them, are the road map that Soon-Shiong has refined over a decade on his way to courtside Lakers seats and a net worth of $7 billion from the drug companies and patents he’s sold.
Known in-house as “The Rocket Ship,” the mostly privately funded project aims to link supercomputers, super-fast data networks; personal monitoring devices; wired hospitals, clinics and phones; nanotechnology; and genome and molecular “proteomic” sampling into a system that can provide individually tailored wellness care and cancer therapy at affordable prices.
So far, Soon-Shiong tells me, he has poured $800 million into 60 companies, university research programs and his own “do tanks” -– all under the aegis of a company he calls Nantworks, in honor of the nanotechnology he used to create a breakthrough cancer drug.
The son of Chinese émigrés who originally settled in South Africa, Soon-Shiong isn’t the first corporate buccaneer to have had such a vision, nor is he the only one now. The founders of Netscape and AOL were early movers, and now everyone from drug companies to telecommunications giants want in on the action. Universities, seeking both pure research triumphs and business for their hospitals, are working hard on pieces of the system, too.
After all, health care is one-sixth of the economy, and the Baby Boom is aging fast.
But, at a youthful 61, Soon-Shiong may have the right combination of polymathic mind, medical experience, research chops, financial resources, ego and salesmanship to get his comprehensive “Rocket Ship” off the ground before anyone else.
Indeed, parts of the flowcharts have come to life. They include a supercomputing facility in Arizona for rapidly sequencing entire human genomes; a national high-speed network called National LambdaRail; a research “bank” with tissue samples and sequenced genomes of cancer patients; a company that produces low-power medical monitors for easy home use; another that produces sophisticated body monitors; and research affiliations with hospitals, clinics and cancer-care centers nationwide. He also has deals with AT&T, Verizon and Vodafone.
Just last week, Soon-Shiong struck a deal with government officials in London to provide data processing services to the U.K.’s DNA data bank.
“In the past, the scientific, technological and digital pieces did not in exist to assemble the whole,” Soon-Shiong says. “Now they do. I like to look for patterns, in science and life. It’s what I do.” Only an interconnected, instantaneous, molecule-to-manufacturer managed care system can tap science and save money, he insists.
Studying Soon-Shiong’s flowcharts recently, a potential tech vendor marveled at what, at first glance, seemed like the work of a NASA programmer and a physics professor who stayed up too late one night.
“Looks like you’re trying to boil the ocean here,” the vendor said, using a dismissive engineering phrase for an answer too large for the problem.
“Let me correct you,” Soon-Shiong replied in his stately South African accent. “I am boiling the ocean.”
If anyone can boil the ocean, it might be Soon-Shiong, says Dr. Eric Topol, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine and the director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
“His sense of hypomania as he pursues this can be overwhelming,” says Topol, who has no ties to any of Soon-Shiong’s Nantworks projects. “But he has had a career of purposeful activity so far, to be sure. I am very supportive of the concept he is pursuing. I hope he can do it, and maybe he is the kind of guy who can do it.”
Soon-Shiong all of his life has been taking on seemingly impossible tasks, finding bigger answers for lesser questions, thinking far outside of the box.
No one has questioned his intellect or drive. His family fled China during the war with Japan in the late 1930s. His father, Chan Soon-Shiong, became a grocer and respected dispenser of Chinese herbal remedies. Both parents were Hakka, an ethnic group admired in China for brains and ambition, but seen as outsiders who stressed kinship and mutual help for their own.
From the start, Soon-Shiong refused to be trapped by circumstances or tradition. Despite living in the twilight zone of South Africa's apartheid –- neither “white” nor “colored” –- he studied medicine at the country’s premier university and managed to get an internship (for half pay) at the top “white” hospital. His chosen specialty was the pancreas and, later, pancreatic cancer. Why? “The pancreas is by far the most complex organ in the body,” he says.
It didn’t take Soon-Shiong long to start thinking beyond South Africa. He got a research grant from the Royal College of Surgeons in London, and moved with his young wife, Michele Chan Soon-Shiong, to Vancouver, to pursue graduate research. Three years later, UCLA invited him to join the school’s faculty. He performed the first successful pancreatic transplant on the West Coast.
That’s a career for some doctors. But at 30, Soon-Shiong was just getting started. He had his father’s interest in medical chemistry and his own eye for the main chance. He saw it in pharmaceuticals. He used Asian connections to build a business manufacturing generic drugs.
But that was a means to another end: inventing new drugs. While working on a NASA grant to study the behavior of human cells in weightless space, he became fascinated by the role of protein molecules in cells. If healthy cells grow by ingesting protein, why not use albumin protein to deliver cancer-killing drugs to tumor cells?
The ultimate result was Abraxane. It encases a well-known tumor-fighting drug (paclitaxel) in injectable nano-packets of protein. Soon-Shiong developed a complex system for freezing the material and spraying it through tiny nozzles to manufacture the particles. The idea was to target the drug and avoid the side effects of paclitaxel.
There were medical skeptics, and others who questioned Soon-Shiong’s business practices as he built his pharmaceutical empire. He once settled a corporate case out of court with his own brother. His pride and salesmanship occasionally clash with scientific caution. The FDA once ordered him to tone down promotional claims about his nanotechnology standards. Early in his career, he touted a diabetes treatment based on what turned out to be only a temporary success with a single patient.
But the FDA first approved the Abraxane technique in 2005. Abraxane is now approved in the U.S. for breast, lung and pancreatic cancer treatment. Regulators in Europe recently gave Abraxane tentative approval for its first use there, for pancreatic cancer.
Soon-Shiong eventually sold both his generic drug company and the company he built around Abraxane. He took stock in Celgene, the company that that acquired Abraxane. Celgene's stock price has soared 188 percent since the acquisition was announced in June 2010.
He is the richest man in LA. His wife retired from her career as an actress to rear their two children. One is in college and the other is heading there.
So now what? He has signed the "Buffett Pledge," promising to give at least half his fortune to charitable causes. Some people might retire, or turn entirely to philanthropic work. Not Soon-Shiong.
Having plunged as far as possible into the micro-world of cell and cancer biochemistry -- down to peptides and organelles -– Soon-Shiong has turned the lens around to look at humankind as a whole, as though we are a gigantic cellular system.
“I’ve been thinking about this nearly a decade,” he says.
He began acquiring companies and patents, some seemingly far afield from medicine. For example, Soon-Shiong owns numerous patents in the hot field of machine vision. How he can integrate that into his health care pursuits isn’t clear.
But give him time.
“I probably could make more money -– a lot more money -– from that business, but I want to stay focused on medical care,” he tells me.
“I have an obligation to use what I know to try to bring real, usable medical science to every doctor and bedside and patient,” he says.
In a sense, he is returning to his ethnic communitarian roots as Hakka Chinese. Only now, the community is the entire human race and all of the DNA, proteomic and cellular information we possess.
“We need to and must protect privacy,” Soon-Shiong says. “But I think that people will be willing and even eager to share medical information about themselves for the greater good of mankind.”
Until recently, few outside of the health care industry or LA knew about Soon-Shiong. But now, he is carefully stepping into the media limelight to promote his ideas, his company and his values.
Proud of his achievements but restless for more, Soon-Shiong has decided that visibility means business and more attention for his holistic approach to medical care. A dedicated sports fan, he bid on, but failed to win, the Dodgers. He bid on, but failed to win, rights to a new National Football League team in LA. But he did manage to buy Magic Johnson’s interest in the NBA’s Lakers.
When the Lakers are at home, you often can see Soon-Shiong (usually with his wife) in his courtside seat in the Staples Center.
He watches with a player’s appreciation of the game, having started shooting on netless hoops back in South Africa when he was 10. When he arrived in LA in 1980, he was able to play pickup games at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, and became a rabid Lakers’ fan. The Lakers were then reemerging with a fast-paced, flowing but disciplined style of play they called “Showtime.”
Soon-Shiong fell in love with “Showtime.” Lakers games, he says, are “a sacred space” for him –- the only time he isn’t thinking of his work.
But of course there is a science and a pattern involved even in being a fan. It has to do with where he sits.
Given his net worth, many years as a fan and close ties to the team, he could have any seat, with the possible exception of Jack Nicholson’s.
Soon-Shiong chose seats at the end of the court, halfway between the basket and the corner. It’s the end of the court on which, as the home team, the Lakers play the last quarter. So Soon-Shiong can watch the action under the basket and study fast breaks as they come toward him.
There are other angles. The seats are close to the Lakers bench, which he can observe and eavesdrop –- or visit during breaks. He is visible in the arena -– political and business leaders know where to find him –- but isn’t center court, with the Hollywood crowd. He is near the tunnel through which the Lakers enter and leave.
“This is the perfect place to sit,” he explains at a recent game. “I see everything.” Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
There is a bewildering array of drugs, and combinations of drugs, that may shrink the tumor and prolong your life. Or they could make matters worse and give you terrible side effects.
In the past, this decision was mostly a crude guess, and it was often wrong.
No longer.
Now, your doctor draws blood and tissue, sends the information to a medical Big Data center that, in seconds, sequences your entire genome and, more importantly, maps how the proteins and the cells in your body are translating your specific DNA mutation into tumor cells. Your doctor then accesses a secure global “bank” of cancer DNA and tissue, and develops an individual cocktail for you, administering it with precise nanotechnology. You recover at home, monitored by high-information devices connected through transmitters to your doctor and clinic.
This is a glimpse of the future that Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong of Los Angeles has spent a decade imagining -- and is now rapidly assembling. The technology and science are all at hand, he says. It’s “just” a matter of putting them together into a logical and humane whole.
“We now can create a pathway to fight cancer to a standstill,” Soon-Shiong tells me in an interview here. “Not to cure it, per se, but to make it a survivable feature of the human condition.”
While he is focusing on cancer -- his specialty -- his basic idea is at once profound and simple: to map the molecular life of all of mankind in the service of better health for each individual. Linking research, treatment and careful monitoring is also the only way to control costs and create accountability in medical care, he says.
The question is whether his approach is practical, or even possible. Soon-Shiong is out to prove that it is -- and that it is, in fact, the only way forward.
While the most powerful man in Washington struggles to expand health insurance, the richest man in Los Angeles is methodically constructing a far more fundamental medical effort: a digitally enabled, science-driven, personalized health care system.
With Washington distracted by the insurance issue -- and with federal science and tech research hampered by “sequester” budget cuts -- privately funded efforts such as Soon-Shiong’s are all the more crucial.
President Barack Obama and Dr. Soon-Shiong share certain affinities, including vaulting ambition, a multicultural background, a knack for systematic thinking and an obsession with basketball.
But while Obama grapples with health care from the outside-in –- from government and politics –- Soon-Shiong works literally from the inside-out, guided by his own knowledge of everything from the molecular structure of cancer to the balance sheets of hospitals and the computing and fiber-optic requirements of Big Data.
In a secure warren of office suites on the west side of Los Angeles, the surgeon-turned-drug-magnate-turned-entrepreneur has laid out his health care vision in a series of floor-to-ceiling flowcharts.
The proprietary charts, and the money and medical experience behind them, are the road map that Soon-Shiong has refined over a decade on his way to courtside Lakers seats and a net worth of $7 billion from the drug companies and patents he’s sold.
Known in-house as “The Rocket Ship,” the mostly privately funded project aims to link supercomputers, super-fast data networks; personal monitoring devices; wired hospitals, clinics and phones; nanotechnology; and genome and molecular “proteomic” sampling into a system that can provide individually tailored wellness care and cancer therapy at affordable prices.
So far, Soon-Shiong tells me, he has poured $800 million into 60 companies, university research programs and his own “do tanks” -– all under the aegis of a company he calls Nantworks, in honor of the nanotechnology he used to create a breakthrough cancer drug.
The son of Chinese émigrés who originally settled in South Africa, Soon-Shiong isn’t the first corporate buccaneer to have had such a vision, nor is he the only one now. The founders of Netscape and AOL were early movers, and now everyone from drug companies to telecommunications giants want in on the action. Universities, seeking both pure research triumphs and business for their hospitals, are working hard on pieces of the system, too.
After all, health care is one-sixth of the economy, and the Baby Boom is aging fast.
But, at a youthful 61, Soon-Shiong may have the right combination of polymathic mind, medical experience, research chops, financial resources, ego and salesmanship to get his comprehensive “Rocket Ship” off the ground before anyone else.
Indeed, parts of the flowcharts have come to life. They include a supercomputing facility in Arizona for rapidly sequencing entire human genomes; a national high-speed network called National LambdaRail; a research “bank” with tissue samples and sequenced genomes of cancer patients; a company that produces low-power medical monitors for easy home use; another that produces sophisticated body monitors; and research affiliations with hospitals, clinics and cancer-care centers nationwide. He also has deals with AT&T, Verizon and Vodafone.
Just last week, Soon-Shiong struck a deal with government officials in London to provide data processing services to the U.K.’s DNA data bank.
“In the past, the scientific, technological and digital pieces did not in exist to assemble the whole,” Soon-Shiong says. “Now they do. I like to look for patterns, in science and life. It’s what I do.” Only an interconnected, instantaneous, molecule-to-manufacturer managed care system can tap science and save money, he insists.
Studying Soon-Shiong’s flowcharts recently, a potential tech vendor marveled at what, at first glance, seemed like the work of a NASA programmer and a physics professor who stayed up too late one night.
“Looks like you’re trying to boil the ocean here,” the vendor said, using a dismissive engineering phrase for an answer too large for the problem.
“Let me correct you,” Soon-Shiong replied in his stately South African accent. “I am boiling the ocean.”
If anyone can boil the ocean, it might be Soon-Shiong, says Dr. Eric Topol, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine and the director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
“His sense of hypomania as he pursues this can be overwhelming,” says Topol, who has no ties to any of Soon-Shiong’s Nantworks projects. “But he has had a career of purposeful activity so far, to be sure. I am very supportive of the concept he is pursuing. I hope he can do it, and maybe he is the kind of guy who can do it.”
Soon-Shiong all of his life has been taking on seemingly impossible tasks, finding bigger answers for lesser questions, thinking far outside of the box.
No one has questioned his intellect or drive. His family fled China during the war with Japan in the late 1930s. His father, Chan Soon-Shiong, became a grocer and respected dispenser of Chinese herbal remedies. Both parents were Hakka, an ethnic group admired in China for brains and ambition, but seen as outsiders who stressed kinship and mutual help for their own.
From the start, Soon-Shiong refused to be trapped by circumstances or tradition. Despite living in the twilight zone of South Africa's apartheid –- neither “white” nor “colored” –- he studied medicine at the country’s premier university and managed to get an internship (for half pay) at the top “white” hospital. His chosen specialty was the pancreas and, later, pancreatic cancer. Why? “The pancreas is by far the most complex organ in the body,” he says.
It didn’t take Soon-Shiong long to start thinking beyond South Africa. He got a research grant from the Royal College of Surgeons in London, and moved with his young wife, Michele Chan Soon-Shiong, to Vancouver, to pursue graduate research. Three years later, UCLA invited him to join the school’s faculty. He performed the first successful pancreatic transplant on the West Coast.
That’s a career for some doctors. But at 30, Soon-Shiong was just getting started. He had his father’s interest in medical chemistry and his own eye for the main chance. He saw it in pharmaceuticals. He used Asian connections to build a business manufacturing generic drugs.
But that was a means to another end: inventing new drugs. While working on a NASA grant to study the behavior of human cells in weightless space, he became fascinated by the role of protein molecules in cells. If healthy cells grow by ingesting protein, why not use albumin protein to deliver cancer-killing drugs to tumor cells?
The ultimate result was Abraxane. It encases a well-known tumor-fighting drug (paclitaxel) in injectable nano-packets of protein. Soon-Shiong developed a complex system for freezing the material and spraying it through tiny nozzles to manufacture the particles. The idea was to target the drug and avoid the side effects of paclitaxel.
There were medical skeptics, and others who questioned Soon-Shiong’s business practices as he built his pharmaceutical empire. He once settled a corporate case out of court with his own brother. His pride and salesmanship occasionally clash with scientific caution. The FDA once ordered him to tone down promotional claims about his nanotechnology standards. Early in his career, he touted a diabetes treatment based on what turned out to be only a temporary success with a single patient.
But the FDA first approved the Abraxane technique in 2005. Abraxane is now approved in the U.S. for breast, lung and pancreatic cancer treatment. Regulators in Europe recently gave Abraxane tentative approval for its first use there, for pancreatic cancer.
Soon-Shiong eventually sold both his generic drug company and the company he built around Abraxane. He took stock in Celgene, the company that that acquired Abraxane. Celgene's stock price has soared 188 percent since the acquisition was announced in June 2010.
He is the richest man in LA. His wife retired from her career as an actress to rear their two children. One is in college and the other is heading there.
So now what? He has signed the "Buffett Pledge," promising to give at least half his fortune to charitable causes. Some people might retire, or turn entirely to philanthropic work. Not Soon-Shiong.
Having plunged as far as possible into the micro-world of cell and cancer biochemistry -- down to peptides and organelles -– Soon-Shiong has turned the lens around to look at humankind as a whole, as though we are a gigantic cellular system.
“I’ve been thinking about this nearly a decade,” he says.
He began acquiring companies and patents, some seemingly far afield from medicine. For example, Soon-Shiong owns numerous patents in the hot field of machine vision. How he can integrate that into his health care pursuits isn’t clear.
But give him time.
“I probably could make more money -– a lot more money -– from that business, but I want to stay focused on medical care,” he tells me.
“I have an obligation to use what I know to try to bring real, usable medical science to every doctor and bedside and patient,” he says.
In a sense, he is returning to his ethnic communitarian roots as Hakka Chinese. Only now, the community is the entire human race and all of the DNA, proteomic and cellular information we possess.
“We need to and must protect privacy,” Soon-Shiong says. “But I think that people will be willing and even eager to share medical information about themselves for the greater good of mankind.”
Until recently, few outside of the health care industry or LA knew about Soon-Shiong. But now, he is carefully stepping into the media limelight to promote his ideas, his company and his values.
Proud of his achievements but restless for more, Soon-Shiong has decided that visibility means business and more attention for his holistic approach to medical care. A dedicated sports fan, he bid on, but failed to win, the Dodgers. He bid on, but failed to win, rights to a new National Football League team in LA. But he did manage to buy Magic Johnson’s interest in the NBA’s Lakers.
When the Lakers are at home, you often can see Soon-Shiong (usually with his wife) in his courtside seat in the Staples Center.
He watches with a player’s appreciation of the game, having started shooting on netless hoops back in South Africa when he was 10. When he arrived in LA in 1980, he was able to play pickup games at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, and became a rabid Lakers’ fan. The Lakers were then reemerging with a fast-paced, flowing but disciplined style of play they called “Showtime.”
Soon-Shiong fell in love with “Showtime.” Lakers games, he says, are “a sacred space” for him –- the only time he isn’t thinking of his work.
But of course there is a science and a pattern involved even in being a fan. It has to do with where he sits.
Given his net worth, many years as a fan and close ties to the team, he could have any seat, with the possible exception of Jack Nicholson’s.
Soon-Shiong chose seats at the end of the court, halfway between the basket and the corner. It’s the end of the court on which, as the home team, the Lakers play the last quarter. So Soon-Shiong can watch the action under the basket and study fast breaks as they come toward him.
There are other angles. The seats are close to the Lakers bench, which he can observe and eavesdrop –- or visit during breaks. He is visible in the arena -– political and business leaders know where to find him –- but isn’t center court, with the Hollywood crowd. He is near the tunnel through which the Lakers enter and leave.
“This is the perfect place to sit,” he explains at a recent game. “I see everything.” Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.
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