Maryland plans to replace health care website
As residentsê efforts to sign up for health coverage through Marylandês health care exchange swelled last week, the state decided to drop the trouble-plagued website in favor of Connecticutês system, according to the Washington Post. The board of the exchange is expected to vote on the change Tuesday. Governor Martin OêMalley said state officials will make an announcement this week.
Maryland officals reported record numbers of people trying to sign up for insurance last week, both through the website and in person at the enrollment centers. As of March 22, a total of 49,293 Marylanders had signed up for private insurance coverage through the exchange, way below the stateês original goal of 150,000, or its revised estimate of 75,000 to 100,000.
As was well publicized, the national deadline for signup was March 31, but the Obama administration officials announced that people who tried to sign up by the deadline and couldnêt get insurance in time could have an extension until mid-April. (What the hell is this, a joke? said House Speaker John Boehner, looking very unamused.) No proof of an effort to sign up is needed; the extension is granted on the honor system. A specific date for the deadline has not been given.
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