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   U.S. Health Insurance Marketplace Slammed Under Demand

   Josh Centers

   Forget the latest iPhone ' the servers that are crumbling under demand
   today are those run by the U.S. federal and state governments. The new
   Health Insurance Marketplace, a key component of the Patient Protection
   and Affordable Care Act (colloquially known as Obamacare), opened up 1
   October 2013, and has so far struggled to keep up with the traffic.
   Both the federal and New York insurance markets were down as of this
   writing. It's exciting to see Americans lining up around the virtual
   block not for an electronic luxury good, but for a core service.

   [1][tn_ACA-down.jpg]

   Regardless of your opinions of the law, it's here, and if you are among
   the tens of millions of Americans who currently lack health insurance,
   we encourage you to visit [2]healthcare.gov and see what's on offer.
   Overall, the site seems well-designed and stocked with a wide variety
   of explanatory information. (For the record, we have no interest in
   debating [3]the 906-page law itself ' or its potential ramifications '
   since it's sufficiently massive and far-reaching that any non-expert
   debate is likely to render [4]the Onion's parody coverage closer to
   truth than fiction.)

   On [5]healthcare.gov, after answering a question about your state of
   residency, you'll either be directed to your state's marketplace, or,
   if your state hasn't established one, the federal marketplace. And if
   you can't get through right away, try again in a day or two. Enrollment
   is open until 31 March 2014 and coverage will begin 1 January 2014. An
   [6]individual mandate to obtain health insurance is set to go into
   place in 2014, with penalties of up to $95 per adult who declines
   coverage. The penalty is scheduled to rise to $695 per adult in 2016.

References

   1. http://tidbits.com/resources/2013-10/ACA-down.png
   2. https://www.healthcare.gov/
   3. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf
   4. http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-who-understands-8-of-obamacare-vigorously-defe,34022/
   5. https://www.healthcare.gov/
   6. http://kff.org/infographic/the-requirement-to-buy-coverage-under-the-affordable-care-act/

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