"Obamacare Sign-Up Extended as Almost 2 Million Use Site"

[applegrove]

Obamacare Sign-Up Extended as Almost 2 Million Use Site

By Alex Wayne and Alex Nussbaum at Bloomberg/Business Week

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-12-23/obamacare-deadline-extended-one-day-as-customers-rush-to-website

"SNIP.......................................




Consumers waiting until the last minute to buy health coverage under Obamacare received a reprieve as a record number of users visited the U.S. online insurance marketplace.

The deadline to sign up for health plans that begin Jan. 1 was extended to midnight today from yesterday for most of the U.S., as healthcare.gov saw a single-day record of about 2 million visitors. Consumers who believe technical issues prevent their enrollment by the deadline can appeal beginning Dec. 26 to gain coverage effective at the start of the new year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said today.

President Barack Obama has struggled to carry out the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the biggest overhaul of the U.S. health-care system since the 1960s. The law has been hamstrung by delays, website outages and political backlash. The late changes probably are necessary to smooth the transition to the new insurance system in January, said Henry Aaron, a health economist at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Video: Healthcare.gov Deadline Extended by 24 Hours

“That kind of willingness to do things manually, do whatever it takes to be done to make sure people do not get disappointed at key dates, is absolutely critical right now and there are indications that the feds are belatedly figuring that out,” Aaron said in a phone interview.




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[applegrove]

1. People are signing up. Woohoo!

[Control-Z]

2. I can't get through in California.

I want to sign up. I really do.

[applegrove]

3. Hope you get a great plan. I'm sure you will.

[Control-Z]

4. Thanks!

I know which one I want. It will save us something like $6,000 a year from what we currently pay. Private market has sucked for so long. And the benefits are amazing with the plan I've chosen!!

[applegrove]

5. I'm really glad you guys are finally getting healthcare. Think of all the families who

will not go bankrupt. Think of the sense of security. Think of the improving health of all the people in the USA.

[TlalocW]

6. Trying to sign up now... I was stupid

I thought the deadline was January 1 - my own fault and misunderstanding. Unfortunately, I'm 200 miles away from any financial information so I don't know if I even get a hold of a support person if it will do any good.

Ah, well. Saw, "It's a Wonderful Life," for the first time in my 41 years. Now I know where half the riffs from Mystery Science Theater 3000 come from.

TlalocW