At
least one function of the Affordable Health Care website appears to be running
smoothly. The software designed to
verify the identity of applicants passed several tests conducted by journalism
students at Monmouth College. Each
student assumed a fictitious name and social security number to determine if
the web site would allow the student to proceed with registration using the
fictitious name. The software in the web
site succeeded in blocking the entry of students who could not be
verified. The attempts to test the
system are described in the following reports..
·
In
my first attempt at using a fictitious identity, I was able to create an
account and proceed until the social security check kicked me out. Apparently the Social Security numbers are
being checked through Experian. Experian
is a credit checking bureau. Then, I
tried again with my personal information but was unable to create an account
due an error in the system. I was
instructed by the site to try again . Elisha French
·
The
first time I tried creating a Marketplace Account, I used an alias name and a
nonexistent email address to see how far I could get into the system.
After clicking submit, I was told that my account could not be created at this
time. I tried again using another false identity, but this time a real email
address. I was able to get
a little bit further this time and actually create a Marketplace Account. I was
then asked to verify my identity. I gave a fictitious social security number,
address, and telephone number. After clicking submit again, I was told that my
account could not be created because my identity could not be verified.
According to the website, I needed to review my information and try submitting
my application again. Christiana Durante
·
·
To
see how far I could get through the website, I created a fictitious person who
would be applying for the health care insurance. I also made an email account using that fictitious
person’s name. My attempt at applying
for health care seemed positive at first.
The site asked to create an account with the health care site to have my
own profile. I filled out the boxes
asking for the state I am from and the year I was born, and since I am posing
as a nonexistent human being, I am a 33 year old from Kansas. A link was sent to the email to verify the
email account. Upon clicking the link, a
page came up that said the request was being processed and it may take a few
moments. It took more than a few
moments. Sitting patiently at the
computer, I waited roughly 5 minutes before the email account was
verified. My profile page appeared once
the system verified the email address.
This is when problems started to occur.
An error symbol popped up and the site told me that my identity was not
verified. I clicked on the link that
said ‘please verify identity.’ Once I
clicked that link, a page was brought indicating that the page did not
exist. The text read, “Sorry, we can’t
find that page on HealthCare.gov.” There
were no other options to go through and it seemed I had hit the end of the
applying process with my fictitious person.
Reality struck, and with that my fictitious person was no longer going
to be able to apply for heal insurance. Gavin Bogan
·
I
made two attempts to create an account on the healthcare website; both met with
failure. For my first attempt I created a fictitious account with fictitious
information. I was able to create an account but once I tried to log in the
website did not allow me. I click on the option to send my email my username
but an email was never sent. On my second attempt when I put my real
information I didn’t even get as far as my fictitious account. Once I finished
with creating the account I was shown this message “Important: Your account
couldn’t be created at the time. The system is un Darnell McKissack
·
On
my first attempt I used a fictitious name and false social security number and
the website blocked me. On the second attempt I used my real name, birth date,
address, and social security number and the page said error, “You must be 18
years of age to continue.” I put my birthdate which I was born in the year of
1992, so it shouldn’t have been an error for me being under age. To take the
error away I put the year ending in 1991 and it went to the next page. Then on
the very next page it asks me four questions to verify my identity and one of
them asked me what year I was born in with 1992 being an option. It was
confusing because when I tried to proceed to the next page using 1992 it gave
me the error, but on the next page it asked me what year I was born with 1992
being an option. available” and I was given the option to “try again.” Jose
Aranda
·
I
attempted to sign up for health care under a fictitious name to access the
health care website. The first time I attempted to sign up for an account,
there were errors on the page that prevented me from being able to fill out the
registration form. I had to re-open the web page a few additional times until
the errors finally disappeared. I was then able to make an account, along with
a fictitious e-mail for the account fairly simply. After I made an account for
the website, I began to fill out the application itself. I entered additional
fictitious information including an address, a social security number, and a
phone number. Once I filled out these components of the application, I was
unable to go any further with the registration. I was told that I could not
fully register for health insurance until my identity was verified. There was
an option to return back to my application, or to call the Experian help desk
to confirm my identity. I chose to return back to my application. I was unable
to submit my application because I did not verify my identity. Kalin McKean
·
Although still in its infancy, the Obamacare website has
plenty of glitches to work out. I tried to sign up for a fictitious account but
didn't get far, as I entered a fictitious social security identification
number. The website recognized the fictitious number and wouldn't allow me to
sign up for the actual thing. To my dismay, I noticed early on that none of the
information I typed in was saved in the beginning, when I was putting down my
first and last name, state, and email address whenever I advanced and then
clicked the back button to go back and correct something. This means that I had
to re-type all the information again each time I went back and then retype the
information in on the page I just went back from. So it was a process of
constant typing. I contacted the online Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat
for help, and told them about my problem, asking if the fact that the website
didn't save the form data was "normal" for the site. The response I
received was that the website was "experiencing some glitches due to high
traffic." This may not be the actual case, as the person I was speaking to
then said that "may be" the problem. I was then advised to try
again in later during an off-peak hour. Heidi
Niemann
·
After
creating a fictitious name and email, I was allowed to start applying for
health care. Although my identity was not verified, I was still allowed to fill
out the application. Even after giving a fictitious social security number, I
was never blocked from the website. After filling out the application and
submitting, I was returned to the verify my identity page. Since I was
unable to confirm my fictitious identity, I was no longer able to continue the
process. Anthony Occhipinti
·
My
first attempt to apply for health insurance online was unsuccessful. I created
a fictitious name, but I created a real e-mail address to use. Upon logging in,
the system said my username and/or password was incorrect. I thought that this
was an error on my part, so I started over from the beginning, using a
different alias, and a different real e-mail address. This attempt proved to be
successful, and I got a little bit farther in the application process. In order
to apply, the site wanted to verify my identity but having me put in my date of
birth, social security number, address, zip code, and phone number. My
information did not check out in the system, and the website suggested that I
recheck my information and try again. I changed my date of birth around, and
plugged in a different social security number, however the site would still not
verify my information. It gave me numbers that I could call to assess the
situation, or an address I could e-mail for help. Miranda Olander
·
For
my first attempt I used a fictitious name and email address I was then asked to
set up an account. After I tried to submit my username and password I was
directed to a page that said “Your account couldn’t be created at this time. I
tried this three other times also using a fictitious identity and I always got
blocked at the same place as before. The system is unavailable.” For my second
attempt I used my real name and email address and was blocked once again from
going any further than my attempts before. Kali
Nordeen
·
Applying
for healthcare online is easier said than done. After several attempts to enter
and navigate through The Health Insurance Marketplace (healthcare.gov), I came
to a dead end. My first attempt I tried creating an account under the name
‘Jessica Thompson’. I got as far as the site being able to send an email to my
imaginary email account. That turned out to not be very beneficial because the
email address wasn’t authentic. With my second attempt, I tried using the same
name but under my actual email address and was blocked. The notice that
appeared on the screen was indicating that the site was temporarily
unavailable. I tried a third time and was hit with the same notice. After a
fourth attempt with my actual name and email address I was able to log into the
site. However, after being able to log into the site with my real information I
decided not go any further in order to protect my identity and the health plan
that I currently have. Jaleesa Walker
·
In
my attempt to create a fictitious account to access the healthcare website, I
was blocked out after creating my account. I was told my login information was
not valid. The healthcare company had emailed a confirmation of my account to
the fictitious email I created. As I tried to access the fictitious Hotmail
account I was blocked out, siting that the password had been entered
incorrectly too many times. I then tried to login into my account on the
healthcare website, which is when my login information was not valid. I then
entered a live chat with an assistant named Charlotte. I told her I had just
created a new account and asked her why I couldn’t log in. She said there are
many people trying to access their website which causes glitches, and too be
patient and keep trying. Knowing I wasn’t going to be allowed access anyway, I
continued by asking her where else I could go to try and log into my account.
She said I could call the toll free marketplace number, call in by phone to set
up the insurance, or download the paper application. She then sent me the paper
application and the toll free number. I thanked her for her time and signed
out. Cody
Whiteside
