OUR BACKUP HEALTH PLAN INCREASE

We are on Medicare so we have a backup plan to cover costs that Medicare doesn't completely cover.  We are with a non-profit and have had to choose the standard family plan though there are only two of us as the only other choice was for singles.  We got a letter yesterday saying that our cost was going up a moderate 6%, which is less than many years.

In view of the news media emphasizing those who have had troubles with Obamacare, I thought that those of us with real life stories that aren't disasters need to say something.

Starting last Tuesday, I have tired using the healthcare.gov site just to see how it works.  I got into the site right away and had no trouble registering and getting into our states plan.  I stopped there because we really are happy with the plan we have.  Then for the next 4 days, I tried to get into the site again and wasn't able to do so.  So I checked forgot password (which may be true), and they said that an e-mail was sent to my e-mail address; however, when I looked at my e-mails, nothing was there.  So I called the Call Center and got through right away.  The lady said they were having problems with that and was quite willing to enroll me over the phone.  I didn't need this so I signed out.  I went back to healthcare.gov and checked "forgot my username."  Again I got a message that said I was sent an e-mail and sure enough they did, so my username and e-mail addresses are all right.  This time I checked Chat.  In about 3 min. I got a message to ask my question so I wrote that the password wasn't working.  After awhile, I got the message back that said that they were having trouble with this.  They would send me a paper copy to enroll if I wished.  Then today, 8 days after my initial application, I tried healthcare.com again with the same problem.  It would accept my new password request and would send me an e-mail to get a new one, but again I got no e-mail.  I wonder how many people are having this problem of trying to get back into the site?

So the the telephone application seems to work fine and the chat is acceptable, but there is still a serious problem with the www.healthcare.gov site in a fundamental way.  My suggestion is that if you are having repeated problems, try the telephone route.