SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Overloaded websites and jammedphone lines frustrated consumers for a
second day as they tried to signup for health insurance under the nation’s historic health careoverhaul.That
was putting pressure on the federal government andthe states that are running their own insurance exchanges
to fix theproblems amid strong demand for the private insurance plans."Ithink I’m through with Hawaii
Health Connector," said Richard Gamberg,61, of Honolulu, after tweeting messages to officials and
complaining tostate lawmakers on Wednesday. "They’ve got ads in the newspaper,they’ve got ads on the TV
— it just flabbergasts me."He was amongthe would-be customers in Hawaii who were still unable to buy
insurancepolicies online Wednesday, forcing them to turn directly to insurancecompanies to examine their
options. In Oregon, officials said a faultyonline calculator would not be fixed until late October.Thedelays
that continued Wednesday offered one good sign for PresidentBarack Obama and supporters of his signature
domestic policyachievement, demonstrating what appeared to be exceptionally highinterest in the new system.
But the problems also could dampenenthusiasm for the law as Republicans use it as a rallying cry to keepmost
of the federal government closed."It’s day two of healthcare reform, and we have yet to have someone
successfully register onthe marketplace," said Matt Hadzick, manager of a Highmark retailinsurance
store in Allentown, Pa., where people could go to register forthe online insurance marketplace. "The
registration process is veryslow, and at one point it just shuts down."The sweeping changesunder the
Affordable Care Act include federal subsidies to makeinsurance more affordable for low-income consumers and
preventing healthinsurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existingconditions. That will
open the door for coverage to many people who havebeen locked out of the insurance market.In California,
home to15 percent of the nation’s uninsured, officials took down the enrollmentportion of the Covered
California website for emergency upgrades. Itwas restored at mid-morning Wednesday, and 7,770 people had
startedapplications by then, spokesman Roy Kennedy said.California isone of a handful of mostly Democratic
states that opted to set up theirown exchanges rather than let the federal government do it for them. Inthe
36 states being operated by the federal Department of Health andHuman Services, consumer patience was being
tested.Agencyspokeswoman Joanne Peters said many Americans successfully enrolled onthe first day, but she
declined to put a number on it. She said thedelays were due to "overwhelming interest" and high
volume.Thedelays come three months after the congressional GovernmentAccountability Office said a smooth and
timely rollout could not beguaranteed because the online system was not fully completed or tested.Thebumpy
debut has the hallmarks of a technology project that may haverushed to meet the Oct. 1 deadline, said Bill
Curtis, chief scientist atCAST, a software quality analysis firm, and director of the Consortiumfor IT
Software Quality, which develops standards."It almostreminded me of going online and trying to buy
Springsteen tickets," saidSharon Schorr of suburban Cleveland, a self-employed accountant whofinally
gave up after eight hours of trying to use the exchange’swebsite.With websites crashing, those who have been
trained toexplain the benefits under the federal law were trying to reach out tothose who could be helped by
the exchanges, handing out information atpublic transit hubs and holding town hall meetings in
smallercommunities.Without online access, however, they could not actually guide people through the
enrollment process."I’vebeen unable to get in, and if I could have that would be great,"
saidDonene Feist, an outreach worker who also is executive director ofFamily Voices of North Dakota, a
nonprofit advocacy group. "For thosewho got in, they said it was easy to follow."The
Obamaadministration hopes to sign up 7 million people in the first year, andeventually cover at least half
of the nearly 50 million uninsuredAmericans through government-subsidized plans and a Medicaid
expansion.Manystates expect people to sign up closer to the Dec. 15 deadline toenroll for coverage starting
Jan. 1. Customers have until the end ofMarch to sign up to avoid tax penalties.___Alonso-Zaldivar reported
from Washington, D.C.___Contributingto this report were Associated Press writers Jeff Barnard in GrantsPass,
Ore., Oskar Garcia in Honolulu; James MacPherson in Bismarck,N.D.; Laura Olson in Sacramento; Michael
Rubinkam in Allentown, Pa.; andJohn Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All
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