CMS is sending email notices to approximately 275,000 people during the next week inviting them to give the federal health insurance exchange site, HealthCare.gov, a second try, according to a report from The Hill.
The people who will receive emails got stuck creating accounts during the first phase of open enrollment, CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille said during a phone call with reporters yesterday. HealthCare.gov has experienced numerous technical issues since its Oct. 1 launch, including crashes because of high traffic and people not being able to create accounts. The glitches have frustrated consumers and drawn criticism from the healthcare reform law's opponents.
HHS and CMS officials have said they are working around the clock to fix the errors and expect the site to run smoothly for most users by the end of this month. As a result of the errors, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has said initial enrollment numbers for the federal exchange — which federal officials have said they will release this week — will be very low. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported people familiar with the matter have said fewer than 50,000 people have managed to enroll.
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