MD's Obamacare health exchange hit with problems-"Once you get beyond slick-looking front page.."

Baltimore Sun ^ | October 12, 2013 | Meredith Cohn

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.....The Maryland Health Connection enrolled just more than 1,120 people in the first 10 days — compared with more than 9,000 in Kentucky, which has fewer uninsured, and tens of thousands in California and New York.

Other states have had similar problems, and the federal site, which serves 36 states, has been bogged down. But Maryland is now being targeted for criticism by conservatives on Capitol Hill and publications such as the Weekly Standard, which highlighted the fact that consumers could not search Maryland Health Connection to see if their doctors participate in the program.

Some Obamacare supporters are also expressing frustration about the balky website.

"Once you get beyond the slick-looking front page, it looks like something a college kid may have put together in an afternoon. It's rife with weird programming, verification errors and dead ends," said Jim Fortney of Silver Spring, who has built some small websites himself and says he supports the health care program. He has been trying to enroll himself and his 12-year-old son on the Maryland site.

Maryland officials have downplayed the troubles related to the Maryland Health Connection's online portal. They say initial problems — some created by high demand — are fixed and others, such as slow movement between pages on the site, are being addressed.

Still, Gov. Martin O'Malley said some problems are likely to continue in Maryland, which has about 800,000 uninsured residents. "My sense of it is, probably for the next month or so, month and a half, we will be working out glitches in the portal," he told reporters Friday...................

[Grampa Dave]

Only “hundreds” have been able to sign up for a health care plan at the Obamacare websites. The Wall Street Journal reported:

Okay now we will try the landline # 1-800-318-2596 listed above or 1-800-318-2596 = 1-800-FAU-CKYO.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I’m dying! Oops better not say that. Very funny. :) :(

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland “Freak State” PING!