So Many People Are Trying To Apply, They Overwhelmed The ACA System
March 31, 2014

The wingnuts must be having a conniption, as all those Americans they keep telling us reject Obamacare are trying hard to sign up for it:

The online federal health insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, has been pushed beyond its capacity for the second time on Monday, as Americans around the country are racing to sign up for health plans before a midnight deadline.

Shortly after noon, new visitors to the Web site began to be greeted with a screen saying, “We need you to wait here, so we can make sure there’s room for you to have a good experience on our site.” The screen inviting them to leave email addresses so that they could be contacted when the volume lessened, although it was unclear whether that would be later today or after the official deadline.

During this time, consumers have been unable to start new applications, although those who already are farther along in the steps towards enrolling are able to continue, according to Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the new insurance exchange.

The pause in new sign-ups comes as a record number of people on Monday flooded a network of call centers for help in getting insurance through the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act. By noon on Monday, the centers logged 350,000 callers, roughly triple the volume on the second-highest day, Dec. 23, as the deadline approached for people to choose health plans in time for their coverage to start on New Year’s Day.

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