Some state-run insurance exchanges are experiencing the same kinds of technical problems

Some state-run insurance exchanges are experiencing the same kinds of technical problems that have plagued the federally run exchanges, according to a Nov. 12 New York Times article. For example, in Oregon, the system cannot determine whether individuals qualify for federal subsidies or Medicaid. In Vermont, technical problems won’t allow consumers to pay for the plans they select. In Hawaii, people are still reporting problems on the site that didn’t go live until mid-October. In Maryland, technical problems, including slowness and frequent error messages, prompted the exchange board to let insurers handle payments directly for now. In Colorado, residents had to bypass the website and use a call center to see if they qualified for federal subsidies. Several state-run exchanges, including those in Connecticut, New York and Washington state, are functioning much better than the federal exchange, the Times reported. Customers in these states are able to log in, register and enroll much faster than on HealthCare.gov, it added. (Reprinted from AIS’s Health Reform Week's e-News Alert)