Oregon Struggles To Clear Health Insurance Exchange's High-Tech Hurdle

Staff Writer | Kaiser Health News | December 2, 2013

Oregon's state-based health law online insurance exchange is still struggling in its quest to sign people up, and officials there are using paper applications to get the job done -- a time-consuming task. Exchanges also make news in Kentucky, California, Mississippi and Washington state.

Los Angeles Times: Oregon May Be In Over Its High-Tech Head In Obamacare Rollout
In Oregon, a state envied for its high tech, sign-ups under the new federal health care law have been anything but. About 400 newly hired workers in Salem are processing paper applications by the thousands for health insurance under President Obama's law. They review each 19-page application, calculate eligibility for tax subsidies, and then mail back a packet of each consumer's options -- which the customers must mail back to complete the sign-up process (Reston, 11/28).

Los Angeles Times: Stores Selling Obamacare Policies Popping Up Across California
As shoppers hunt for holiday bargains this season, they may find something unusual for sale at the mall: Obamacare. With enrollment deadlines looming, California officials, insurance companies and agents are staking out retail space to sign up thousands of people as part of the Affordable Care Act. These sales tactics reflect how dramatically the health care law is changing the insurance industry (Terhune, 11/27).