AUGUSTA — Interest in the federal health care exchange has been high in Maine since enrollment opened on Oct. 1, yet glitches in the website continue to be a problem for consumers, health groups and insurance companies said on Monday.
Emily Brostek, who oversees the statewide help line for the Augusta-based Consumers for Affordable Health Care said it has received more than 350 calls this month — more than the entire month of September — most of them related to the health care exchange, or marketplaces.
“Many callers when they reach us don’t know what exactly the marketplace is, but they may have heard something about new options … and just kind of need to know what they should be doing,” Brostek told a committee of lawmakers and health care experts overseeing the health exchange in Maine.
Meanwhile, Enroll207.com, a Maine Health Access Foundation website which hosts information about coverage and nearby assisters, has had more than 19,000 hits, said Wendy Wolf, the organization’s president and CEO.
But numbers on how many people have signed up in Maine won’t be available until next month, said Christie Hager, the top federal Department of Health and Human Services official for New England who briefed the committee via conference call on Monday.
The health exchange under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act opened earlier this month to glitches and computer problems that have frustrated consumers and drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Consumers have until Dec. 15 to ensure their coverage takes effect Jan. 1, but enrollment is open until March 30. The state estimates that as many as 250,000 Maine residents could sign up on the exchange, including about 130,000 who are uninsured.
Administration officials have said more than 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges nationwide, but have refused to say how many people have actually enrolled in the marketplaces.
Hager urged those attempting to sign up for coverage on the exchange in Maine to remain patient and assured the committee that staff is working around the clock to improve the system.
“As time goes on there will be vastly improved functionality,” she said. “It’s wonderful that we’re all so eager… but we do have a number of weeks even before December 15 and even many more weeks before March 30 when open enrollment ends.”
Kevin Lewis, CEO of Maine Health Community Options said more than 5,000 visitors have come to the company’s online application portal since Oct. 1, but said most people will sign up through the federal website because that’s the only way they can get subsidies. He couldn’t provide a figure for how many people have signed up for coverage with MCHO, one of the two companies offering insurance on the exchange.
Health centers have been offering paper applications to those having problems with the federal website, directing people to the call centers and encouraging people to wait a few weeks until the glitches get resolved, said Caroline Zimmerman outreach coordinator for the Maine Primary Care Association.
Affordable Care Act 101
- Affordable Care Act 101: We break down the ACA, what it does and what it requires you to do.
- Just the FAQs ma’am: Frequently asked questions and helpful answers
- An ACA Timeline: How health care coverage has evolved.
- Where to get assistance and more info: There are more sources of information and help understanding how the Affordable Care Act affects you.
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