Call center wait won't stop Jan. 1 insurance coverage

Insurance agents and consumers faced longer than usual wait times on the federal HealthCare.gov call center's lines Monday, the deadline for insurance that takes effect Jan. 1 — and many were told they would get a returned call up to a week after the deadline, associations representing agents said late Monday.

Consumers phone the call center when they have questions or issues with the site or to reset their passwords.

"It's been a theme all day, as in 'I can't get on a conference call with you today because my clients and I are on hold with HC.gov,' " Jessica Waltman, senior vice president with the National Association of Health Underwriters, said in an e-mail Monday. "It is the first time I have had this many complaints about not being able to get through, which is, I am sure, due to the high call volume due to the deadline."

Aaron Albright, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, assured consumers that those who live in states that use HealthCare.gov and call the center for assistance within Monday's deadline will still be able to get coverage starting Jan. 1.

"As we have anticipated, we are seeing very high consumer demand on HealthCare.gov and at the call center for people looking to meet the deadline," Albright said in an e-mail. "Because the call center is experiencing longer than normal wait times, some callers are being asked to leave their contact information, so they do not have to wait. We will call them back at a convenient time starting tomorrow (Tuesday), and if they select a plan, their coverage will still begin on Jan. 1."

In Louisiana, Ronnell Nolan, president of Health Agents for America, heard from two agents who asked if the deadline for the 37 states using HealthCare.gov would be extended by five days if that's how long it was going to take for them to hear back from the call center.

Minnesota and New York announced that they extended the deadline to be eligible for coverage beginning Jan. 1.

In a news release, Minnesota emphasized that residents will have until Saturday to sign up to have coverage and that it made the change because insurers extended their deadlines, "not because of technical issues."

New York said Friday that it, too, will give people five extra days and cited bad weather in parts of the state that would make it difficult for some to sign up.