Sunday the White House released a new promotional “whiteboard” video for Obamacare. The video features the four different ways to sign up, but according to a report by Politico all of those methods are ultimately dependent on the malfunctioning website.
The new 3 minute clip offers a list of benefits with no mention of the ongoing problems with the roll out. However, toward the end the video does list 4 ways to sign up, something the White House started doing in earnest last Monday.
But according to Politico, the alternative sign up methods the White House has been touting are all dependent on the website. For instance, if you call the 800 number you get someone who is also unable to get on the website:
POLITICO reporters who got recorded announcements earlier in the week– sometimes directing them to try HealthCare.gov — can now get throughto the call center. Once they connect, staffers like “Justin” try to getpeople’s information into the online system.
But “Justin” doesn’t have a fast track. Asked if the website works better for him than the general public, he responded: “No.”
And if you use a paper application it’s the same bottleneck. John Lau whose company Serco has the contract to handle paper applications told Politico:
“Our challenges have included coping with the performance of theportal as that is our means of entering data just as it is for theconsumer,” Lau said, referring to HealthCare.gov. “With the relativelylow volumes of applications we have received thus far, this has not beena problem for us.”
But Serco will be flooded with paper applications if the websiteglitches persist, predicted John Gorman, founder of the Gorman HealthGroup, which has advised some of the insurance exchanges. “Serco isgoing to be swimming in paper within the next two to three weeks,” hesaid.
As for “in person” applications those don’t work either and for the same reason. As of right now there are four ways to not get health insurance. The President seems willing to waste people’s time if it will help distract even a little from his administration’s incompetence.
Update: Obama’s weekly address also highlighted the phone number again followed by another attack on Republicans.
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