Healthcare.gov just deleted my account

[Shivering Jemmy]

or doesn't remember that I made one. Which is frustating.

I have to hope that whoever they contracted to build this is liable to repair it. Because it needs to be able to scale, and needs to be able to handle DDoS attacks, which I'm sure are happening.

I can't imagine HHS is employing the staff that is fixing these problems. Or that there is any staff available to do so right now...

Hope they manage to get it to scale by next week. Don't want the bad press to pick up once the beltway media gets bored of shutdown.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. Your account isn't deleted. That's been happening to me off and on.

It doesn't recognize my login, and then, later in the day, it does.

[sendero]

7. This kind of thing is not that uncommon..

... for web applications. Folks need to keep in mind that web programs are not and never will be as "robust" as native applications, i.e. programs you run directly on your computer. I will spare the long dissertation on why this is so, but it's not going to change soon.

That said, what is probably happening is something like this...

You enter your login name and password

The web page asks a database (either directly or thru a proxy element) to look you up.

The database server is so overloaded it "times out" without actually sending back an answer to the web page.

The web page (or proxy) code isn't particularly robust and it really does not distinguish a time out from a negative answer.

Again, all of this stuff will probably improve over time.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. Not really concerned about it. Thanks.

[sendero]

2. There is little if anything...

... that the coder/developers can do about DDOS attacks. In fact, there's not much ANYONE can do, unless they can figure out who it flipping the 'wake up and send packets' switch, not an easy thing to do.

I suspect it will be weeks before this thing is basically stable and longer than that before it is of average net quality.

[Shivering Jemmy]

3. really?

If it's a large botnet, once you have seen all the zombie IPs, can't you just block them?

[B2G]

6. Jesus, this is not a DOS attack!

This is CODE and LOAD. This looks nothing like a DOS attack.

[Shivering Jemmy]

9. Not Jesus.

and although it may not be a conventional DDoS (and I thought the NY exchange was now suspicious that it was), I still wonder how many teabaggers are hitting reload on the browsers just out of spite.

[trumad]

13. LOL

I kind of chuckled when I read that as well.

Apparently the Op has never been on DU on a very busy day---or any other site that has sudden rush in traffic. They all slow down or---go down.

Yes---a DOS attack is similar, --- but it is not the cause.

[sendero]

14. In all fairness..

.. the authorities in NY in particular do believe their site was being attacked. There was an article posted here yesterday about it.

[Yo_Mama]

4. It freezes on me when I try to create my account.

I suspect there are several telecom bottlenecks that need to be cleared.

I tried doing the overnight thing, but that didn't work for me either, although it did get me to the point at which it hung up when it tried to create the account. I'm going to try once more next week and then do the paper thing, because that's going to take a while.

[Heather MC]

5. Whoever they contracted is on Furlough with everyone else

[Shivering Jemmy]

12. Dunno...

I work for a big government contractor. We are still working programs for which we have been paid.

That may change if the next tranche of money doesn't come through.

[Heather MC]

16. I am friends with the Director of External Affairs at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

And he said, he is still on the Job but his staff is not

[Shivering Jemmy]

17. great

so that means this doesn't get fixed until government opens again?

Teabaggers will never let us reopen...

[Heather MC]

18. Basically

[CrispyQ]

15. I'm not Obama's biggest fan, but I gotta say, that logo of his is perfection!

It's so versatile & when you see it, no matter what it's form, you instantly know it's Obama! The one you're sporting is particularly nice, given ACA is his legacy legislation.

Marketing genius.

[Heather MC]

19. I like the logo too, when i see it on cars I smile of course it's easy to use it in the reverse as

well
I see a lot of "NObama" bumper stickers

[CrispyQ]

20. Luckily, I haven't seen one of those.

I admire cool logos. Years ago I got behind a Mayflower moving truck. The trailers were bright yellow with a green Mayflower ship on the back of the trailer.



The trucker was driving much faster than I was & as the truck got further away from me, the green ship appeared to be flipping me off. After that, whenever I see their logo, I never see the ship, only flip the bird.

[Heather MC]

21. ha ha

[City Lights]

10. Same here.

I just tried to long back on and it keeps telling me the username/password is not correct, even though it is.

And it wouldn't let me create a new account either. I got partway through and it said something like the system is too busy now.

It's very frustrating.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Why do I suspect the sign up site is contracted out?

Health service in our lil town has been mangled since the Act required computerizing of records and scripts.
The hospital, the various Dr. offices ( we have a surprising number of them, considering how small an area we are)
and the pharmacies were sold a computer system so they could talk to each other.

Have no idea who the seller was.

but the folks who have to use it are not trained, and have no clue about GIGO.
They seem to consider the puters as a lesser god of sorts, and "the computer says you live at THIS address, we can't chagne it"
has been happening for months now.
I watch my doc enter a script for, say, 180 tables for 90 days
then I go to the pharmacy who first says they do not have a script, where upon I insist they look in their puter..
"oh....yeah.....forgot about that...."
and then get a filled prescription for 90 tables with instructions to take them for 180 days.
Happens EVERY month.

[JoePhilly]

22. Na, I'm sure the severs to run it are in the White House basement.

[whttevrr]

23. uhmmm...

Anyone notice the one rec here, and here ~~> http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023782676 ?

[displacedtexan]

24. States participating are responsible for part of the enrollment process, aren't they?

I found this at the Kaiser Foundation website:

Coverage through the Marketplaces will begin in every state on January 1, 2014, with enrollment beginning October 1, 2013. States can elect to build a fully State-based Marketplace, enter into a state-federal Partnership Marketplace, or default into a Federally-facilitated Marketplace. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish and operate a Federally-facilitated Marketplace in any state that is not able or willing to establish a State-based Marketplace. In a Federally-facilitated Marketplace, HHS will perform all Marketplace functions. States entering into a Partnership Marketplace may administer plan management functions, in-person consumer assistance functions, or both, and HHS will perform the remaining Marketplace functions.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but why would we trust every state or federal website worker not to screw with the system?

Maybe I'm just paranoid. You guys know a lot more about coding and network admin than I ever will.

Sorry you're having problems, SJ! Hope it works out for you.