Doing Better: Making Improvements to HealthCare.gov

Re: Doing Better: Making Improvements to HealthCare.gov by ssharp on Sunday October 20, 2013 @05:05PM (#6581482)

Isn't the point of the OP that they are actively working on fixing the site? I don't see how being active in repairing broken parts of the site is any indication on "inevitable collapse". There is no indication that these will be long term problems.

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Re: Doing Better: Making Improvements to HealthCare.gov by bpodgursky on Sunday October 20, 2013 @05:31PM (#6581597)

The post is referencing a different problem. This is the scenario described:

1) since the exchanges can't discriminate on pre-existing conditions, many people with expensive pre-existing conditions in need of treatment will sign up.

2) because a high percentage of the new customers to the new plans need expensive treatments, insurance companies are forced to raise the rates on the new plans to cover costs

3) after seeing the higher insurance rates, healthy people quit the plan since their expected healthcare costs are lower

4) repeat steps 2 and 3 until very few people can both afford to be in the plan and have very pressing healthcare needs.

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Re: Doing Better: Making Improvements to HealthCare.gov by icebraining on Sunday October 20, 2013 @06:04PM (#6581722)

It's an insurance death spiral [1]. NPR's Planet Money talked about it last month [2].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_spiral_(insurance)

[2] http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/30/227468495/one-key-...

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Re: Doing Better: Making Improvements to HealthCare.gov by schaub435 on Sunday October 20, 2013 @05:34PM (#6581608)

Have you ever been involved in large complex applications? They're not pretty and does not simply involve "repairing broken parts".

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