And so it begins (well, continues)

To the surprise of very few (and certainly no one who's been actively following the train-wreck), the ObamaTax has certainly lived up to its hype:

"Hospital staff in Northern Virginia are turning away sick people on a frigid Thursday morning because they can't determine whether their Obamacare insurance plans are in effect."

Given the last-minute shenanigans played by the Obama adminitstration and its chief henchcritter, it would be a wonder if there weren't health care delivery "glitches." Remember, too, that the 404care.gov site makes it well-nigh impossible to either pay for coverage, or to confirm that it is, in fact, in effect.

But it's not just hospitals, and it's not just in NoVa:

"The new year brought relief to some Illinois patients newly insured under the nation’s health care law. Others still weren’t sure whether they were covered, despite their best efforts to navigate the often-balky new system."

That's out of Chicagoland, where  " paperwork problems almost delayed suburban Chicago resident Sheri Zajcew’s scheduled surgery." Fortunately, her surgeon decided to go ahead and operate anyway, on the theory that he can obtain post-authorization.

Here's the thing: you can't really do that. Prior authorization is a pretty serious thing, and there's a likelihood that the carrier will decline to retroactively grant it.

"Oh, but Henry, they're stuck, too, surely they'll understand and work with the surgeon and the patient (their insured)."

Maybe, maybe not. But gambling that the insurance carrier, already facing incredible pressure from stakeholders and the folks in Capital City, will suddenly decide to go wobbly on established process is, at best, dubious. Remember, this was a "scheduled," ie elective, procedure, not an emergency.

Still wanna bet on it?