1. Home
  2. What Happens If Healthcare.gov Isn’t Fixed by Nov. 30?
  • Sign up
  • Sign in
Money Talks News
  • Popular
  • Latest
    • Coronavirus
    • Ask Stacy
    • Make
    • Save
    • Borrow
    • Grow
    • Live
    • More
  • Deals
    • Automotive
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Computers
    • Electronics
    • Everything Else
    • Financial Services
    • Gaming & Toys
    • Health & Beauty
    • Home & Garden
    • Movies, Music & Books
    • Office & Supplies
    • Special Occasion
    • Sports & Fitness
    • Store Events
    • Travel & Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Solutions
  • Academy
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Search our site
Seniors holding hands in pool4 Simple Steps for a More Comfortable Retirement
Happy older investor5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $100,000
10 Amazing Ways to Build Wealth at Any Age10 Amazing Ways to Build Wealth at Any Age
5 Things to Do Now if Social Security Won’t Be Enough5 Things to Do Now if Social Security Won’t Be Enough

What Happens If Healthcare.gov Isn’t Fixed by Nov. 30?

It's supposed to be, but the government had plenty of time to get it right the first time and failed. So what's Plan B?

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Brandon Ballenger • November 14, 2013

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email Share on Pinterest Printable version available to members PDF version available to members
Image Not Available

The national Obamacare insurance marketplace website, Healthcare.gov, is broken. It was virtually impossible to sign up for a plan through the site when it relaunched more than a month ago, and things don’t seem to be much better now.

The White House promised it would be fixed by Nov. 30. The Washington Post is reporting that’s unlikely, since improvements to the site show it still can’t handle the anticipated volume of insurance shoppers.

“Government workers and tech­nical contractors racing to repair the Web site have concluded that the only way for large numbers of Americans to enroll in the health-care plans soon is by using other means so that the online system isn’t overburdened,” the Post says.

So what happens if it isn’t fixed? What’s Plan B?

Some Democrats are pushing to delay the penalty for not enrolling, Bloomberg Businessweek says. For 2014, that penalty is the greater of $95 or 1 percent of income, and it currently takes effect for those who haven’t purchased insurance by March 31. That’s unlikely to happen, because insurers have already set rates for 2014 under the assumption the law and sign-ups would play out as expected.

So the first plausible option is for people to enroll with insurers directly. That would make it harder to compare plans, although Healthcare.gov added a tool to help estimate premiums that works better than the sign-up process does. This option would also present some logistical problems in getting eligible consumers the subsidies meant to help pay their premiums, Businessweek says. Individuals making less than $45,960 and families of four making less than $94,200 should qualify for subsidies. But it may be more doable than fixing Healthcare.gov in the next two weeks.

Another option would be to apologize and tell people to hold tight a while longer until the site is fully operational. That would give people less time to sign up, and could delay when their coverage actually kicks in, but we’re Americans — we usually wait until the last minute anyway, right?

It was certainly true in Massachusetts. When the state rolled out what became the model for Obamacare in 2007, just 6 percent of consumers who eventually signed up did so in the first two months, The New Republic says. Registration didn’t pick up until halfway through the enrollment period, which for Obamacare would be in the new year.

Do you plan to sign up for insurance through Healthcare.gov if they get it working? Comment below or on our Facebook page.

  Like Article   Add a Comment

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Simple ways to make, save, and grow your money daily:

  happy subscribers    
MTN Podcasts

Every week our podcasts bring you lively money discussions that will give you a few laughs along with advice that will make you richer.

Money with Stacy Johnson

Listen/Subscribe

Read Next

Some of our favorite stories for you to read next.

Man driving a boat
19 Purchases That Buyers Almost Always Regret
Couple planning their retirement
8 Key Steps to Planning for Retirement as a Couple
Older couple reviewing documents
Here’s How Much Your Peers Get in Social Security
Sign up for our free newsletter!

Join our many free newsletter subscribers building wealth and destroying debt:

Popular Topics
  • Retirement Investment
  • Surveys for Money
  • How to Make Money Online
  • Emergency Stockpile
  • Free Movie Streaming
  • Senior Discounts
Connect
  • Support & FAQs
  • Memberships
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
Media
  • Advertise
  • Television
  • Where We Air
  • Scripts
  • Sitemap
Legal
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
Editorial
  • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Ethics Policy
  • Corrections Policy
  • Ownership & Funding Info

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

© 2023 Money Talks News. All Rights Reserved.
‭1 (833) 669-8557 | 1732 1st Ave #26661, New York, NY 10128

Advertising Disclosure: This site may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website.

View This Page Without Ads

Help us produce more money-saving articles and videos by subscribing to a membership.

Get Started

Help us produce more money-saving articles and videos by subscribing to a membership.

Add a Comment

Our Policy: We welcome relevant and respectful comments in order to foster healthy and informative discussions. All other comments may be removed. Comments with links are automatically held for moderation.

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Join our happy subscribers and sign up for our free newsletter! You'll get:

  • Tips and advice from our expert money reporters. (Our average experience is 18 years!)
  • Unexpected ways to make more and spend less, delivered to you daily.
  • The best deals and coupons to save on everything you buy.
  • Free copies of our eBooks '208 Ways to Save Money Every Day' and '108 Easy Ways to Earn Extra Cash', together a $29 value!