USA Today - Government says it fixed bug slowing insurance sign-up

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By Kelly Kennedy

A software bug that caused 80% of the problems with information forms insurers received from the HealthCare.gov website has been fixed, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday.

"That bug has been fixed and is now working properly," said Julie Bataille, the CMS communication director. "The bottom line is we have fixed many of the bugs associated with" the forms, known as 834 forms. Insurance companies have told CMS that the forms are working correctly in their systems, she said.

Consumers should still confirm with their insurers that their payments have been received and that they definitely are enrolled, she said.

In the meantime, House Republicans plan to continue their attacks on the Affordable Care Act through four House oversight hearings this week about the implementation of the law, including a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said the law has forced people to leave health plans they like and that are more expensive.

"Some people will face a gap in coverage, premiums will likely spike even higher in 2015, and more and more people with employer-provided coverage will be adversely affected by the law," Brady said.

After the weekend announcement that HealthCare.gov could handle 50,000 people at a time, the site again experienced high volumes Monday that left customers waiting.

From midnight to noon Monday, more than 375,000 people visited HealthCare.gov, Bataille said.

"That's roughly twice the size we had been seeing on a typical Monday," Bataille said, adding that Sunday was also a busy day. "We actually did have significantly more traffic yesterday than we typically do on a weekend."

Rather than be left waiting, visitors had the option to leave an e-mail address, then be notified when a spot had opened up on the page. That person could click a link from his or her e-mail and move to the front of the line at the website. Bataille said that was implemented at 10 a.m. Monday.

That was implemented after the site hit 30,000 visitors, rather than its 50,000-visitor capacity, to ensure an "optimal experience" for those on the site, Bataille said. They also used it during maintenance Sunday night, sending out emails to 5,000 people.

Peak use tends to be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, she said.

The CMS will release November enrollment numbers in the middle of December, Bataille said.

"We certainly expect enrollment to increase" because of the fixes, Bataille said, but she would not confirm a Bloomberg News report that 100,000 people had signed up at the federal exchange.

Enrollment on the exchanges run by states continues to pick up. New York released statistics Monday that showed 91,000 people had enrolled for health insurance, and about 50,000 had bought a qualified plan. An additional 41,000 had qualified for Medicaid.

In California, officials announced Monday that small businesses may begin to enroll online in the Small Business Health Options Program and receive coverage by Jan. 1. Before, they had to work with an insurance agent to receive an insurance quote.

Bataille announced an improved window-shopping option that allows people to see plans and prices without filling out an application.

The site is supposed to be able to accommodate about 800,000 visitors each day, based on an eight-hour day.

The site includes a note stating, "During times of especially high demand, you may be queued to begin your online Marketplace application to ensure the best possible shopping experience."

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