Stories of frustration are piling up about Healthcare.gov: People who can’t register. People who pre-registered before opening day, Oct. 1, but can’t log in. People who get five or six screens in, then the site crashes.
That’s the experience of many on the federally run site, which is serving residents of the 36 states that opted not to set up their own online health insurance marketplaces, or “exchanges,” under the Affordable Care Act.
So far, there’s no public information on how many people, if any, have successfully signed up for insurance via Healthcare.gov. Reporters desperate to find someone who had enrolled found 21-year-old Chad Henderson in Georgia, now enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. But his story fell apart after a Washington Post reporter tracked him down and interviewed him (with an assist from the libertarian site Reason.org).
RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about health-care reform? Take our quiz!
Among the states that set up their own exchanges, there are some bright spots, foremost among them Kentucky and Connecticut. California and Colorado, too, are enrolling people, after some overloading issues. Maryland has had a lot of challenges. The system there is working, but it’s maddeningly slow, say people who visited the site.
Upgrades in capacity and software fixes are under way, both at Healthcare.gov and in the state exchanges, government officials say. Despite all that, says David Simas, a White House spokesman, Healthcare.gov had 7 million unique visitors in 72 hours.
None of the problems are shocking, and can be overcome, say management experts.
“I spend most of my time working with CIOs [chief information officers] of large enterprises, and when we look at something like this – the complexity of the different states and the pent-up energy and demand and ideas around signing up – it certainly wasn’t surprising that there were problems,” says Eric Johnson, dean of Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, in Nashville, Tenn.
The challenge, though, isn’t just getting Healthcare.gov and the other exchanges up to speed. It’s getting them to function smoothly soon enough to accommodate the flood of people who want to sign up for health insurance – with a possible federal subsidy – in time to start coverage on Jan. 1. To be covered on Jan. 1, one must enroll by Dec. 15. (The open enrollment period, though, goes all the way to March 31.)
What’s more, all of it is happening under the klieg lights of intense media scrutiny, plus the political pressure of conservatives looking for any sign that Obamacare is a failure.
Liberal groups – and the Obama administration – are trying to build a competing narrative: that the problems, which are being addressed, are a result of the massive public demand for affordable health insurance.
“There are separate issues, enrollment and optics,” says Caroline Pearson, vice president of Avalere Health, a health-care consulting firm. “I think they’ve got till early November” to get the sites running smoothly so people can enroll by Dec. 15.
Ms. Pearson expects the people who are trying to enroll now will keep trying until they succeed, since they are probably the most motivated customers. But on the “optics” front, it’s the less-motivated people – the ones who aren’t happy about the mandate and perhaps tempted just to pay the fine and not buy insurance – who may be turned off by the bad press around the rollout.
Anyone, for example, who sees even just the headline on Friday’s Wonkbook column in the Washington Post by the reliably liberal Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas would be taken aback: “Obamacare’s web site is really bad.” Not only was the site not close to ready for the level of traffic it’s been getting, it’s “badly coded,” Messrs. Klein and Soltas say, citing software designers.
“The good news for Obamacare is that lots of people want to sign up,” they write. But “the fact that the traffic is good news for the law doesn't obviate the fact that the site's inability to absorb that traffic is bad news for the law.”
The folks at Avalere Health created accounts at Healthcare.gov before Oct. 1, but still can’t log in.
“We’ve been trying all week,” says Pearson. “But there have been signs of progress. We can get further into the log-in process each day. But the issue is, you have to create an account before you can access the data and shop. That’s the part that seems not to be functioning and where we get stuck.”
Johnson, the dean at Vanderbilt’s business school, says the Obama administration needed a better communication plan, given all the curiosity and pent-up demand. He suspects a lot of people on the site are just looking for information and trying to understand how much the various plans would cost them.
“Had they been able to do a ‘soft roll’ – a rollout that allowed people to see some more of the information in the first week or two before making decisions -- that would have helped dramatically,” Johnson says.”It becomes bigger than life, because it’s received so much media attention, and yet so few details were available other than this big bang approach.”
Not all the headlines have been terrible. A “review” of Healthcare.gov in Thursday’s USA Today calls the site “a winner despite the glitches.”
The writer, Tim Mullaney, praises the simplicity of the writing and intuitive placement of information. He also gives the core product a thumbs-up: The site offers a choice of cheap, affordable plans.
“Any e-commerce veteran can tell you: If a start-up’s business proposition is sound and it delivers what it promises, it survives early days when websites crash and chaos reigns,” Mr. Mullaney writes.
Extenze
Genf20 Plus
How to Enlarge Penis
Increase Penis
Male Extra
VigRX Plus
Vimax
Volume Pills
5 Htp
30 Days to Thin
Best Eye Wrinkle Cream
Skin Brightening Reviews
How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks
Dietrine
DigestIt
Eazol
Enlast
Urinary Incontinence Treatment
Goji Berry Health Benefits
Herpeset
HGH Energizer
Hoodia Balance
Hoodia Chaser
Hoodia Gordonii Plus
How to Get Bigger Butt
How to Make a Penis Bigger
Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
Ways to Lower Cholesterol
Omega 3 6 9 Benefits
Idol Tan
Best Teeth Whitening Product
Joint Advance
Lemonade Diet
How to Increase Female Libido
Lipo 6
Liver Active
Make Mine Grow
Maqui Berry Review
Melatrol
Miracet
Best Multi Vitamin For Women
Best Multi Vitamin For Men
Natural Gain Plus
Best Electronic Cigarettes Reviews
Diabetes Supplements
Oxy Sleep
OxyHives
Dog Joint Supplements
Dog Vitamins Reviews
Pro Testosterone
Prostate Health
QuickTrim Reviews
ReloraMax
Resveratrol
Butt Enhancement
Revitol Eye Cream
Pore Minimizer
Revitol Skin Brightener Cream
Skin Exfoliation Products
How to Remove Skin Tags
Stretch Mark Cream Reviews
Saffron Extract Reviews
How to Stop Snoring Naturally
Hypothyroidism Natural Treatment
Best Natural Thyroid Supplements
Xtreme Fat Loss Diet
Home Treatment For Yeast Infection
ZOX Pro
Revolutionary Sex
Sex God Blueprint
The Truth About Cellulite
Linden Method
Paleo Recipe Book
Paleo Burn
Pull Your Ex Back
Capture His Heart
Family Survival System
Make Him Desire You
Enchant Him
Make Women Want You
What Men Secretly Want
Meet Your Sweet
Secret Survey
How Do I Get Him Back
Melt Your Man's Heart
Save My Marriage Today
Girl Gets Ring
Make Small Talk Sexy
10 Second Attraction
Renegade Diet
Carb BackLoading
Muscle Gaining Secrets
The Truth About Abs
Visual Impact Muscle Building
Panic Away
Metabolic Cooking
The Magic of Making Up
Acne No More
Eat Stop Eat
Fat Burning Furnace
Heartburn No More
Lean Hybrid Muscle
Anabolic Cooking
Customized Fat Loss
No Nonsense Muscle Building
Gabriel Method
Grow Taller 4 Idiots
Eating For Energy
Six Pack Shortcuts
The Woman Men Adore and Never Want to Leave
The Truth About Six Pack Abs
37 Critical Food Items
Fibroids Miracle
Eye Floaters No More
Ovarian Cyst Miracle
21 Day Sugar Detox
Tinnitus Miracle
Jump Manual
H Miracle
Fit Yummy Mummy
Penis Enlargement Bible
Yeast Infection No More
Ex2 System
Penis Advantage
Old School New Body
Adonis Golden Ratio
Get Him Back Forever
VigRX Plus Review
GenF20 Plus
Volume Pills
Extenze Reviews
ProSolution Pills
Semenax
ProSolution Gel
Vigrx Oil
Erection Fitness
Vivaxa
Maxoderm
Provacyl
ProExtender System
Nexus Pheromones
GenFx
Virility Pills
Penis Advantage
Penis Enlargement Bible
Make Mine Grow
Boost Your Bust
Grow Taller 4 Idiots
Vimax Reviews
37 Critical Food Items
Ex Recovery System
Penis Enlargement Pill
Jes Extender
Male Edge
Penis Advantage
SizeGenetics
Volume Pills
How to Make Your Penis Bigger
VigRX Oil
Performer5
ProExtender
VigRX Plus
Instant Performer
Nexus Pheromones
Kamasutra Sex Positions
Total Curve
Pregnancy Miracle
Fat Burning Furnace
7 Day Belly Blast Diet
Phen375
Eating Healthy
Eat Stop Eat
Fit Yummy Mummy
Nuratrim
Eating Diets
Cheat Your Way Thin
Every Other Day Diet
Pregnancy Without Pounds
Best Weight Loss Pill
Full Fast
Full Body Licious
The Diet Solutions Program
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle
Aquaponics For You
Binary Options Pro Signals
How to Declutter Your Home
Earth4Energy
Energy By Tesla
Fast Track Cash
Food For Wealth
How to Build a Boat
How to Build a Model Train
Backyard Landscape Design
How to Make Beauty Products
Green DIY Energy
Woodworking Projects Plans
TradeMiner
How to Make Dog Food
Solar Stirling Plant
Homemade Boat Plans
Nikola Tesla Secret
My Shed Plans
BTV Solo
Chicken Coop Plans Designs
Singorama
Jamorama
Violin Master Pro
Home Made Energy
Earth4Energy
DUB Turbo
Dr Drum
Teds Woodworking
Sonic Producer
Secrets to Dog Training
Rocket Piano
Piano For All
Har Vokse
How to Approach Women
How to Please Woman
How to Lose Man Boobs
How to Get Rid of Man Boobs
Male Breast Reduction
How to Cure Gynecomastia
Treatment For Gynecomastia
How to Last Longer
How to Talk to Women
Green Coffee Bean Extract
Colon Cleanse Reviews
Joint Pain Relief Natural
Best Hair Removal Products
How to Cure Acid Reflux
Chia Seeds Health Benefits
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment
How to Reduce Breast Size
Natural Sleep Aids
Best Skin Care Products
How to Lose Man Breasts Fast
Natural Breast Enlargement
How to Get Rid of Wart
Best Cellulite Treatments
Gynexin
DigestIt
VitaliKoR
Penis Stretchers
Revitol
Performer5
Omega 3 Fish Oils
Jes Extender
Human Growth Hormone Reviews
HGH Energizer
Acai Berry Select
African Mango Reviews
Alteril
Breast Actives
Clear Pores
HerSolution
Idol Lash
Intivar
Male Edge
Male Enhancement Pills
Penis Pills
Penis Health
Phallosan
ProShape
Provestra
Revitol Scar Cream
Provillus
Raspberry Ketone Reviews
SizeGenetics
Best Way to Quit Smoking
Tinnitus Cure Treatment
Total Curve
Triactol
The Truth About Six Pack Abs
Venapro
Vigorelle
Virility EX
Wartrol
XtremeNo
ZetaClear
14 Day Rapid Fat Loss
Acne No More
Adonis Golden Ratio
Carb BackLoading
Challenge Workouts
Eating For Energy
Ejaculation By Command
Ejaculation Guru
Grow Taller 4 Idiots
Hypothyroidism Revolution
Muscle Gaining Secrets
Old School New Body
Panic Away
Primal Burn
The Magic of Making Up
Renegade Diet
Truth About Abs
Visual Impact Muscle Building
Workout Finishers
7 Day Belly Blast Diet
21 Day Sugar Detox
30 Days to Thin
37 Critical Food Items
Adonis Effect
Alteril
Anabolic Cooking
Moroccan Argan Oil
Best Muscle Gain Supplements
How to Get a Bigger Butt
How to Make a Bigger Penis
Capsiplex
Cellulite Factor
Clear Pores
Critical Bench
Customized Fat Loss
Dermefface FX7
Eat Stop Eat
Extreme Stamina
Eye Floaters No More
Fat Burning Furnace
Metabolic Cooking
Penis Advantage
Eat Stop Eat
Fat Burning Furnace
Heartburn No More
30 Days to Thin
Lean Hybrid Muscle
Anabolic Cooking
Customized Fat Loss
No Nonsense Muscle Building
31 Day Fat Loss Cure
ExtenZe
Vimax
VigRX Plus
Carb BackLoading
Male Extra
ProSolution Pills
VitaliKoR
Volume Pills
Semenax
Maxoderm
GenF20 Plus
How to Call Men
Mack Tactics
Guy Gets Girl
Guy Magnet
Green Coffee Bean Extract
Breast Enlargement Pills
Best Breast Reduction
Gynexol
How to Get a Boyfriend Back
How to Get Rid of Cellulite
Penis Enlargement Bible
Phallosan
How to Lose Man Boobs
Old School New Body
Total Wellness Cleanse
Yeast Infection No More
Text Your Ex Back
Friends Into Lovers
Text the Romance Back
Jump Manual
Penis Perfect
Vimax
Trick Photography and Special Effects
Miami Ink Tattoo