Even though the Covered California website (coveredca.com) didn't
have as many glitches as the federal Healthcare.gov website, it still wasn't smooth
sailing as should be expected. In my first attempt at applying in October, the
section where I was supposed to enter my citizenship information stopped me in
my tracks because it wouldn't take the A90 number of my citizenship certificate.
The website showed an error code and told me to contact the System
Administrator. Well, I don't work for them so I didn't have a way of doing
that. A week later, it miraculously accepted my citizenship info and I was able
to proceed. So my registration was completed and the website presented me with
options on what companies and insurance coverage I preferred based on my
projected income in 2014 if I was still employed. Unfortunately, the next day,
I was laid off so that changed the income equation. If I remained unemployed in 2014, that means I
would not have an income, so I had to make revisions with Covered California.
When I tried to input my projected income of zero dollars, the website would
not accept the value, however, when I put in 1 cent per hour, it was accepted. To
prove that my income had changed, I was asked by the website to upload whatever
evidence I had. I was able to upload my WARN Act Letter and my Termination
Notice. Based on a projected annual income of $1,664 a year, I qualified for
free insurance coverage through Medi-cal which is California' version of
Medicaid. I don't know how much Medi-cal covers but at least it's free and
better than not having any health insurance coverage.
A couple of weeks later, I logged on the website to check on
my status and it showed me that I was approved for Medi-cal based on my revised
projected income and the evidence I provided. However, I didn't know what the
next step was. By that time I had started receiving unemployment benefits so I
had to update my information and report my new income. I would still be
receiving substantially less than the $15,800 threshold for subsidized private
insurance where I have to pay a certain amount, so I would still qualify for
Medi-cal. As required by the rules to be truthful with my information, I tried
to make the changes to my income. Again I hit a roadblock similar to the one
with the citizenship information. Thinking maybe the website was too busy to
process the new information, I tried to log in again in the evening. This is
where a new problem cropped up. The website said I entered the wrong password
so I tried to be more careful the second time. I got the same message so I
clicked on the "Forgot Password" link which brought up some challenge
questions to prove my identity. I know for sure that I answered them correctly
but the website locked me out.
The next day, I contacted customer service via Instant
Messaging and was told to call the customer service number for help in
resetting my password. I did that and after about a 35 minute wait, I talked to
someone who told me to wait 24 hours before trying to log in again. He said
that should help in trying to reset my password. While he was on the phone with
me, I asked him if he could change my income information. He found me via my
case number and did what I tried the day before. He failed as well because his
computer gave him the same error message that I got. His advice was to just let
it go since the new information wouldn't change my qualifying for Medi-cal
anyway.
I waited for more than 48 hours before trying to log in
again but was still locked out of the system, and wouldn't even allow me to
change my password. It didn't even ask the challenge questions again but rather
just told me to call the toll free number. I sent an email to customer service
with my dilemma and they were supposed to respond within 2 days. Two weeks
later, I still haven't gotten one. Being bullheaded, I called customer service
again and got someone on the line within half an hour. I asked him about
resetting my password and he said that they are not allowed to do that anymore.
What should I do if I needed to update my info, I asked? He said I would have
to do it over the phone. Like the previous representative, he suggested that I
leave well enough alone with the income situation, because I would be assigned
a Medi-cal caseworker anyway at a later date who would verify my income.
On December 5, 2013, I finally received a letter via snail mail
stating that I didn't qualify for lower cost subsidies for private insurance,
but rather I qualified for Medi-cal. At least now I know that my information
was in the system. I was to wait for more paperwork, but this time it would be
coming from Medi-cal and not from Covered California.
Another glitch I encountered with the website is the Instant
Messaging system. Sometimes after waiting in the queue for a long time while it
counts down until you become number 1, the system kicks you off and says that
no representative is available. This happened to me twice. So I think it's
better to wait on the phone or do both at the same time if you want to talk to
anybody.
Time it was when I was so naive before I moved to the U.S.
when I thought that if ever I become sick in America, I could just go to the
nearest hospital's charity ward. After living here since 1981, I still haven't
seen a charity ward in all the hospitals I've worked in.
No comments:
Post a Comment