Paper ObamaCare Applications Stuck in the Same Queue

NyPo reports:

President Obama urged Americans to use old-fashion paper applications, instead of the dysfunctional Web site, to sign up for ObamaCare, even though the administration knew the forms would get jammed in a backlog, newly released notes revealed Monday. 

The notes, taken during a War Room meeting Oct. 11 between contractors and Obama administration officials, contained warnings about the paper applications days before the president touted them as a low-tech solution to the Web site mess.

“The paper applications allow people to feel like they are moving forward in the process and provides another option; at the end of the day, we are all stuck in the same queue,” said the notes, which were obtained by House investigators.[...]Obama promoted the use of paper applications during an Oct. 21 speech to address the government’s glitch-plagued HealthCare.gov Web site.[...]

But in the notes from a War Room meeting Oct. 3, just two days after the Web site opened, officials questioned the viability of using paper applications as an alternative.

“Given the computer system issues, should we be saying that paper is better for now? Should assisters who are sitting with consumers use paper?” asked the notes.

At an Oct. 15 meeting, the notes state, “Navigators are seeing people very frustrated and walking away, so they are turning to paper applications to protect their reputations as people in the communities who can help, even though paper applications will not have a quicker result necessarily.”