Massive Demand as Obamacare Opens for Texans

[TomCADem]

Source: NBC

It’s the first day uninsured Americans can sign up for health care under the new law. But, NBC5 discovered the government website, healthcare.gov, wasn’t working properly.

More than a million North Texans don’t have health insurance. Many went to clinics like Los Barrios Unidos in Dallas to sign up, only to find out the website is down.

“Right now, I don’t have the money to pay for it,” says Gloria Cervantes. The mother of three can’t afford insurance. That could change with the Affordable Healthcare Act.

“It’s going to be cheaper, less expensive, and I really need it,” says Cervantes.

Read more: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Texas-Health-Care-Exchange-Relying-on-Feds-225967281.html

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It is incredibly ironic that Ted Cruz's state is the home of massive demand for health care coverage under the ACA. I am sure that this does not make a whit of difference to Ted Cruz. Likewise, the media generally focuses on glitches while ignoring the fact that much of the glitches are due to unexpectedly heavy demand on the first day.

[Snake Plissken]

1. We need to shut this ACA thingie down ASAP

with all this demand the 1%er might have to wait for an appointment like the rest of us

Seeing the 1%er waiting like the rest of us might be too much to bear

[JDPriestly]

14. You are right. When everyone has healthcare, doctors treat the most interesting cases (the

most needy in medical terms) first, not the richest people.

Wait and see. Once doctors know that they get paid no matter how poor the patient, we will have a more compassionate medical profession.

They are already compassionate, but when collecting the bills is pretty much a foregone conclusion, the social/economic class of the patient is very unimportant. Doctors are interested in medicine, not the social class of the patient. At least the good ones are.

That is one of the secrets of Europe. Medical care for all through one system or another puts everyone on the same basis with regard to saving lives and helping people live healthy lives.

[jaysunb]

19. +1 nt

[targetpractice]

2. I'm surprised the tech platform(s) is(are) not handling the load...

Obama's election tech team rocked it... I wonder if Healthcare.gov drew upon the same talent. I haven haven't researched who's behind the federal exchange, but I would assume that would looking to those same resources was considered.

Also, looking to someone like Apple (who can support 200 million downloads, installs, activations, and registrations of iOS 7 in a weekend) would seem like a good idea, too

I would hope that a high priority goal of the project (because of political reasons) should have been outstanding first day user experience.

I'm excited by the response. I guess that why the Republicans are having their historic tantrum.

[kestrel91316]

3. I suspect coordinated DDOS attacks are behind most of these snafus.

We may or may not hear anything from DOJ about it, but if it's going on they will find out.

[johnd83]

11. I have wondered about that too

but they can only keep those attacks up for so long.

[TomCADem]

4. Heck, if Apple and i07 or Microsoft and Windows Releases Can Glitch

...I think the ACA roll out did pretty well. Heck, when I tried to download the latest DLC for Borderlands 2, I was delayed by over 4 hours. I still waited and played it, though.

[IronLionZion]

5. cross-disciplinary team of developers and low cost open source code

"cross-disciplinary team of developers and editors at HHS, and contractors at Teal Design, Edward Mullen Studio, and Development Seed, a scrappy startup in a garage in the District of Columbia."

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/06/healthcaregov-code-developed-by-the-people-and-for-the-people-released-back-to-the-people/277295/

Read the above if you're a techie. The tech behind it looks incredibly awesome. We really do have millions of people accessing it all at once, much more than any site of this type could ever be expected to handle before. I can't wait to get reliable performance stats on this after a the initial signups come down to a stable level.

Some of the state exchanges were built by traditional contractors, but the federal one is really amazing.

[targetpractice]

7. That is the exact article I visualized in mind that I wished existed and wanted to read!!

Thank you for that link!

You are awesome!

[IronLionZion]

6. I read there may actually be more signups from red states

simply because those states have more uninsured and they've been hearing about the federal site enough times to check it out.

[Iliyah]

12. Hopefully so although the red state governance are not trilled

about their constituents being able to afford healthcare coverage and my gosh become more heathlier. They rather desire to keep them miserable and uneducated, i.e. creation bs and lying history.

[olddad56]

8. Obamacare versus Affordable Care Act (Jimmey Kimmel)

this must have been done in Texas

[Neoma]

22. I should try asking that to people.

[Joel thakkar]

24. Unfortunately

This was done in california...one of the most liberal state in USA...just imagine a liberal state people have such low knowledge about ACA, what would happen in conservative texas.

[CBHagman]

9. More than a quarter of the Texas population is uninsured.

There's a lot of work ahead.

Go, advocates, go!

[hamsterjill]

27. Absolutely! Yes!!!

My state desperately needs the help. We have people hurting. I want my fellow Texans to have health care regardless of their bank balance. It is time for the devastation that Rick Perry and his goonies have levied on Texas to start improving!

I only hope that the low income crazies down here who are still rallying around old Teddie Cruz will actually SEE that there is going to be a benefit. Most of them that I see are still convinced that anything coming from Obama is the devil's work incarnate!

[Iliyah]

10. Crazed Cruz territory.

They can also register to vote as well . . . I see Texas turning back blue. . .

[winter is coming]

21. I'm wondering how many "we're not expanding Medicaid" states will be more blue next year

when low-income voters realize they could have healthcare if it weren't for the assholes in their state legislatures turning down Federal money for expanded Medicaid.

[blkmusclmachine]

13. Oops.

[Samantha]

15. We have to get someone to ask Cruz over Twitter if he is aware

of the demand for Obamacare the first day the exchanges open. That would be too cool ... sorry, I don't tweet.

Sam

[lonestarnot]

16. K & R!

[quadrature]

17. identity thieves uploading malware

yuo might want to wait awhile.

[lonestarnot]

18. Not looking so good for the cruz coward that is apparently in hiding.

[area51]

20. Actually,

"Ted Cruz's state" is Canada.

[CANDO]

23. So many of these people can't afford the premiums.

With the subsidies, maybe they can. So here's the bad part...wait til they have to use their healthcare, and find out it's not really insurance(in my view) because they have to cough up another few thousand dollars for the deductible. My prediction...people are going to be outraged. We need Medicare Part E (everyone), we all pay into it and we get coverage from the instant you walk into the hospital.

[jsr]

25. Medicare for All.

[Aristus]

26. It's amazing how effectively massive campaign contributions and cash kickbacks

can help one in ignoring the suffering of others.

Cruz and his ilk need to be voted out...