GOP Releases Name Of Customer Featured In Bizarre Online Chat With Healthcare.gov (Video)

The House GOP Conference released a video earlier today highlighting actual excerpts from an online chat between a potential customer and a customer service representative for Healthcare.gov. The online chat is almost too surreal to be believed:

For the Doubting Thomases out there, the House Republican Conference released the name of the individual who experienced that bizarre chat session. His name is Adrian Smith, 34, of New Jersey and he gave the following statement to confirm his story with Healthcare.gov:

“Thank you for your inquiry about my experience on October 11, 2013 using the healthcare.gov support chat.  I can confirm that the excerpts used in the YouTube video and the full transcript posted at www.gop.gov/yourstory is authentic and exactly as I experienced on October 11. I am a resident of New Jersey and work for a higher education institution. I am not employed by the Republican Party.>

“After a recent job transition, my family needed to make an informed decision about healthcare options for the approaching year. After repeated registration problems, I was able to create a healthcare.gov account on October 11 and began the tedious process of entering specific personal information about our family. Each page resulted in a long wait before being able to proceed. At some point in the process it appeared that our family information became corrupted and I was unable to proceed with the family profile.

“When I reached out to the online chat function for assistance, I was professionally greeted by a customer service representative named ‘Dean.’ At this point, I had hope for a resolution that would allow me to see the pricing and coverage information my family needed. Unfortunately, the chat experience was as frustrating as creating my healthcare.gov account. ‘Dean’s’ responses made little sense, were at times comical, and did not provide the help I needed. Ultimately, I lost faith in healthcare.gov and made the decision to pursue alternate options for the healthcare needs of my family.”