HHS says exchanges still open despite shutdown

Officials recommended that consumers who need immediate help contact the exchange call center, use the live chat function, or go to Localhelp.healthcare.gov to find in-person assisters in their communities. 

In Maryland, a state with a state-based exchange, the exchange website broke down soon after it went live at 8 a.m. The site resumed operations at noon. Exchange managers cited “connectivity problems” with computers as the reason for the delay. 

New York State’s exchange began operating at 8 a.m. and received 2 million visits in the first hour and a half, “which far exceeds what we were expecting,” said James O’Hare, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, according to the New York Times. Though some consumers encountered error messages or delays, the site was functioning and processing applications, though how many was not known, O’Hare said.

Kentucky’s exchange went live at midnight. By 9:30 a.m., it had received 24,000 visitors and processed more than 1,000 applications, said Gwenda Bond, a spokeswoman for the state’s health care agency, the Times said. “The high volume of traffic is causing a few technical glitches,” presenting problems for people who want to apply but not for those who are just browsing, she said.

See also:

• Some uninsured will shun exchanges
• Anti-PPACA states cannot sabotage navigators
• Exchange builders head to delivery room