New Obamacare setback: HHS delays online enrollment for small businesses

The Obama administration is delaying yet another key piece of the new health care law - this time online enrollment for small business who want to sign up for the federal-run insurance exchanges.

A Health and Human Services (HHS) official said the department plans to immediately offer offline options for small businesses to sign up through an insurer, agent or broker in the nearly three dozen states where the federal government is running the marketplace. The website for small businesses to register and purchase coverage, though, will not launch until November of next year.

“For 2014, small employers will use 'direct enrollment' rather than Healthcare.gov in states where the federal government is running the marketplace,” the official said. “This allows small employers to sign up for coverage through offline enrollment while CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] works on creating a smoothly functioning online experience.”


http://washingtonexaminer.com/new-obamacare-setback-hhs-delays-online-enrollment-for-small-businesses/article/2539905

WASHINGTON — White House officials, fearful that the federal health care website may again be overwhelmed this weekend, have urged their allies to hold back enrollment efforts so the insurance marketplace does not collapse under a crush of new users.

At the same time, administration officials said Tuesday that they had decided not to inaugurate a big health care marketing campaign planned for December out of concern that it might drive too many people to the still-fragile HealthCare.gov.

With a self-imposed deadline for repairs to the website approaching on Saturday, the administration is trying to strike a delicate balance. It is encouraging people to go or return to the website but does not want to create too much demand. It boasts that the website is vastly improved, but does not want to raise expectations that it will work for everyone.

“We are definitely on track to have a significantly different user experience by the end of this month,” Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday. “That was our commitment.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/us/politics/white-house-urges-caution-on-health-site.html?ref=us

obama's lowering the bar again. The administration is actually telling the faithful to not go on the site tomorrow so they don't overload it. He also "admits" obamacare was not a "smart political thing". It wasn't about him …He took the risk for the country.

Oh, sure he did!!!! He thought it would be his legacy. It will be his legacy all right!!!!