State officials come together to highlight the technology problems facing exchanges
Officials from five different states are citing technology problems as the reason that their health insurance exchanges have failed to operate successfully. Representatives from Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Oregon suggest that technical problems had made it nearly impossible for many people in their states to enroll for coverage through state-based exchanges. The technology behind these exchanges has been heavily criticized since the exchanges began open enrollment in 2013. Ongoing problems may have kept several thousand people from finding the coverage that had been heavily advertised through these exchanges.
Hawaii only manages to enroll 7,600 people due to technical problems with exchange
For some states, the exchanges were only partially functional, with many people encountering problems that prevented them from enrolling in exchanges during the open enrollment period. In Hawaii, these technical problems were so severe that the state only managed to enroll some 7,600 people. Other states saw more success in terms of enrollment, but failed to meet their enrollment goals due to ongoing issues with exchange technology.
Exchange technology continues to be a problem that is in dire need of a solution
The CGI Group is the main contractor for the federal exchange network. The company’s technology was used throughout the country to build insurance exchanges, but this technology has come under fire in recent months due to the technical failings of exchanges nationwide. Resolving the technology problems that have crippled many exchanges has been difficult, but has become a higher priority now that the open enrollment period has ended. Another enrollment period is scheduled to begin later this year and resolving the technical problems that exchanges have faced in the past have become a paramount issue in order to avoid future troubles.
Enrollment numbers are promising in many states despite technical difficulties
Despite issues concerning exchange technology, many exchanges have managed to reach their enrollment goals with relatively little problems. Overall, millions of people throughout the U.S. have managed to purchase coverage through exchanges. The vast majority of these people had not had insurance coverage before enrolling into the exchange of their state.
