Exchange Platform - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Obamacare exchange platform disaster has been the hottest topic of debate since the day the reform was rolled out. While it is true that the federal exchange platform has been facing a good chunk of difficulties since rollout, there are a few more layers of truth that the media has not been scratching, intentionally or unintentionally.

Obamacare has definitely changed the way we perceive and utilize healthcare, and the repercussions have been wider than the collective backlash from poor website design, buggy enrollment process and failed enrollments. Let's take a look at the good, bad and the worst aspects of Obamacare.

The Good

The health insurance exchange technology utilized in the healthcare.gov website is outdated, buggy, and broken; we all know that. However, that still hasn't deterred people from using it to their advantage.

Several families across the country have been able to find policies that will help them save a couple of hundred dollars in health insurance premiums.Families are also noting superior coverage and additional benefits, such as maternity and dental coverage, at only marginally higher premiums.Most people have felt that even with all the bugs, the individual health insurance exchange setup is much simpler than the earlier process. People feel that once the bugs are cleaned out, it will streamline the process of enrollment and remove additional complexities in the enrollment system.

The Bad

The failures of Obamacare exchanges are the most highlighted aspect of the rollout. According to experts and authorities:

The exchanges are way off target in terms of projected enrollments. The government had expected about 7 million enrollments in the period of October to December, but the actual figures are way off the mark.The health insurance exchange technology is outdated and unable to meet the demands of the populace. As the government works towards fixing the bugs and errors, time is running out for everyone.Poor website functioning is putting undue pressure on exchange integration navigators. The number of queries, calls for assistance and requests for enrollments have risen multifold for these navigators and it is becoming hard for them to manage this unprecedented load with the limited funding issued by the government.

The Ugly

The worst problem affecting the exchanges at the moment is the 834 transaction issue. The 834 transaction error arises when there is an error in the data exchange between government systems and health plans. Since it is a back-end problem, several correct enrollments are failing without the knowledge of applicants, leading them to believe that they have successfully enrolled, while in reality, they haven't.

While it is evident that the exchange integration technology needs to be improved for steering Obamacare to success, the current status is not as bad as portrayed by the media. In the months to come, and as the technology team resolves the exchange platform issues, Obamacare should follow the path taken by Medicare Part D during rollout - laden with initial errors but exceptionally successful down the line.

Author is a well known authority on health insurance exchange technology in the US. She is currently looking to expand her expertise in health insurance exchange technology domain. Rate this Article

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Shandra Benson has published 43 articles. Article submitted on November 13, 2013. Word count: 482

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