Submission + - Health Insurance Exchanges Buckle Under Flood of Enrollees (computerworld.com) 1
Lucas123 writes: Less than 15 hours after going live, more than 2.8 million people had visited the U.S. Health and Human Service's healthcare website seeking information on how to use health insurance exchanges (HIX) in order to find affordable plans under the Accountable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Citizens who apply for healthcare insurance on the open exchange by Dec. 15, will be able to receive coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2014. Those who wait until after Dec. 15 to apply will receive coverage at a later date. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the HIXes said they've received 7 times greater traffic than the Medicare website ever saw. One of the most cited problems by those attempting to sign up for healthcare insurance online was an issue associated with creating a password, which protects the enrollee's identity. Yet another problem was accessing a 24/7 instant message helpline. "We are making improvements as we speak. What we're hearing from other issuers is that problems are being resolved," Tavenner said. "This is day one of a six-month process," said Marilyn Tavenner, administrator for the CMS.