Consumers aren't the only ones frustrated by problems with the online health insurance exchanges being run by the feds.
Private companies that sell health insurance on the Internet are also in a bind. Websites like eHealthInsurance.com that were planning to start selling new, subsidized Obamacare policies on Oct. 1 still can't offer them to customers.
First off, the online brokers got a late start. They didn't get permission to sell exchange plans until late July. And the companies say they got plan information data too late to test it sufficiently. The Obama administration declined to comment on the nature of the problems that have the online brokers stuck.
eHealthInsurance.com has been selling health coverage online since 1999. Then, the Affordable Care Act passed and the federal government said it was going to open online insurance shopping sites. Gary Lauer, CEO of eHealth, the company behind the site, fought long and hard for the right for private firms like his to compete. The government finally relented.
But at this point, many consumers still can't shop for these plans on commercial sites, and Lauer says he has no firm date for when they'll be able to.
"I hope in the next few weeks, and I've been saying that for the past couple of weeks," Lauer says. "We're somewhat dependent on this federal exchange working in a stable fashion."
Via: Kaiser Health News
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