Can anyone provide any hints on healthcare.gov with Illinois?

[DebJ]

My sister has just tried again, unsuccessfully, with a TENTH application through healthcare.gov.
She has been on the phone numerous times, sent emails, worked with an insurance agent, and
still can't get anywhere. The system keeps crashing when the person on the other end of the
phone is using it.

Originally she was told they were allowed reduced premiums and a $661 a month tax credit.
Around application number 6, she was told she would have to send proof of income. Well,
her husband retired late last year, and their income has dropped dramatically and will be
down dramatically for 2014, but they demanded proof of income from 2012, and then they
tell her she gets a $66 a month credit.
Currently, she is uninsured herself and son, and she has an ankle injury from November that
she can't afford to treat. Her husband has COBRA insurance that went through the roof and
they can barely pay that.

I advised her to contact her Congressional Reps. We looked them up; two are Repukes; the
other is Durbin. I told her to try Senator Durbin, as he would be motivated to help her if possible,
while the other two would just want to use her story to prove the failure of national health care.

If anyone has had any experience with this and come out ahead and could possibly give a hint,
we'd greatly appreciate it!
Thanks.

[CFLDem]

1. Sort of.

Unless she enjoys living in downtown Chicago, move the heck out ASAP.

Best decision I ever made.

Other than that is she eligible for state insurance? ICHIP seemed to work pretty good for my wife.

[frazzled]

2. What makes you think she lives in downtown Chicago?

In fact, it's clear that if her representative is a Republican, she does not live in downtown Chicago. Or anywhere inside the city limits of Chicago, as far as I can tell.

Besides, what would living in downtown Chicago have to do with the healthcare.gov website anyway?

PS: I live downtown Chicago. I love it.

[trublu992]

3. I'm jealous

[CFLDem]

4. Because downtown Chicago

is the only part of Illinois worth living in.

I just spent a pleasant NYE downtown and would move there myself if I could afford it.

But as far as the OP goes, I wish I could offer better help.

[DebJ]

9. She lives in western Illinois off the Mississippi. She'd love to move

back to the east coast/Maryland but they can't afford to do so with the
enormous difference in housing prices.

[CFLDem]

10. I feel that.

Don't mind me. As an escaped Illinoisan, I just like to joke around on the subject.

[sueh]

5. Tell her to call Sen Durbin's office and talk to a staffer in Constiuent Services.

The role of constiuent services is to help when a constiuent needs assistance. I suggest trying a local office first.

[beachbum bob]

6. first of all why isn't she using the illinois healthcare exchange??

took me 30 seconds to google and copy the link here...this might be way better to deal with, also I am sure there are places she can walk into and they will help


http://getcoveredillinois.gov/?gclid=CN_K9eee7bsCFbBFMgod8RwArQ

[sueh]

7. Get Covered Illinois' site brings you to healthcare.gov after answering some basic questions.

If you start out at healthcare.gov, you stay within the site. You'd end up there anyway.

[DebJ]

8. Yup. n/t

[mopinko]

11. #1, see if she can find a navigator. #2, go straight to the fed phone number.

if there is a nonprofit near her that does anything healthcare, she should see if they have navigators. they are very helpful. some pharmacies are helping, i understand.
but yeah, get covered does indeed dump you back to healthcare.gov if you get any kind of subsidy. the phone people are supposed to be pretty good. she should try that.

[DebJ]

12. Thanks but she's been on the phone with people for the last several applications

and the system bombs and she's out again. She leaves notices for someone to call her back but no one ever does.

[mopinko]

13. with illinois people or with feds?

the illinois system just blows. thank you pat quinn.

i have done some work with this in my ward, but i was not the person who dealt with the navigators.
if you want to pm me a phone number, i can see if i can get her in touch with one of the navigators that we dealt with. (tho i am not at home right now. on vaca.)

[mopinko]

14. in the meantime, search for a navigator.

a face to face sounds like the best way to deal with this. maybe someone in social services at the nearest hospital? any healthcare related nfp's around?

[zeos3]

15. PM me. I'll be able to help. n/t

[DebJ]

16. She finally got it! I'll post what she got in another thread.