Covered California Enrollment Up Despite Call Center, Website Issues
Enrollment during the first day of Covered California's second open enrollment period outpaced last year's day-one numbers, but some problems surfaced on Monday with the exchange's website and call centers, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Covered California spokesperson Amy Palmer said "many more" people enrolled in coverage on Saturday, compared with the number of residents who enrolled during the first day of the exchange's open enrollment period last year. However, the total number of new enrollees will not be available until later this week, Palmer said.
Details of Website, Call Center Problems
Meanwhile, the exchange's call center for small employers and insurance agents was not working on Monday. Individuals who called the center received a recorded message that cited high call volume.
In addition, Palmer said the website had experienced some glitches (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 11/18). The issues prevented consumers using the site from shopping for new plans or choosing coverage options for more than an hour prior to being fixed (California Healthline, 11/17).
Cerrina Jensen, president of the Sacramento Association of Health Underwriters, said the call center and website issues made agents "unable to assist folks with making any changes to their existing coverage," adding, "[T]he phone system is completely inaccessible."
Palmer said the exchange began receiving reports of problems on Monday and that staff members "are trying to figure out which [issues] are real" (Sacramento Business Journal, 11/18).
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