{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Americans given first opportunity to shop for health insurance; Obama comments' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c2edd8eafeecae15d697' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c2edd8eafeecae15d697' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nAmericans given first opportunity to shop for health insurance; Obama comments\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eThe online insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of US President Barack Obama's health care programme, which is expanding access for those without coverage, struggled to handle the wave of eager new consumers on Tuesday.It was the...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eThe online insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of US President Barack Obama's health care programme, which is expanding access for those without coverage, struggled to handle the wave of eager new consumers on Tuesday.\u003cbr/\u003eIt was the first day of a six-month open-enrolment period that inaugurates the biggest expansion in health insurance coverage in nearly 50 years.\u003cbr/\u003eA combination of high demand and technical glitches seemed to overwhelm the online system early in the day. \u003cbr/\u003eFederal and state officials were working to address the problems, which led to long waits on government websites and a federal call centre.\u003cbr/\u003eBut a community help centre set up in a Detroit church was buzzing with activity. \u003cbr/\u003eThere volunteers ushered residents through the sign-up process.\u003cbr/\u003e\"We've seen young people, middle-aged people. We've seen retirees. Everyone is coming down,\" said Charles Williams II, pastor of King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church.\u003cbr/\u003eAs a sign of how ready Americans were to get started, Obama said more than one million people had visited the federal government's main website early Tuesday morning, exceeding expectations and contributing to the delays.\u003cbr/\u003e\"This is an historic day for a good reason. It's been a long time coming,\" Obama said in the White House Rose Garden, flanked by Americans who plan to enrol through the exchanges.\u003cbr/\u003eState-operated sites also experienced glitches. \u003cbr/\u003eIn Portsmouth, New Hampshore, Deborah Lielasus tried to sign up for coverage but got only as far as creating an account before the website stopped working. .\u003cbr/\u003eLielasus, a 54-year-old self-employed grant writer, currently spends about 8,500 US dollars a year in premiums and more than 10-thousand US dollars for out-of-pocket expenses because she has a health condition and her only option has been a state high-risk insurance pool. \u003cbr/\u003eShe said she expects those costs to decrease significantly.\u003cbr/\u003eAs excited as she was to sign up, she said, her anticipation was tempered by dismay over the government shutdown that was led by congressional Republicans who want to block the health insurance reforms.\u003cbr/\u003eThe shutdown will have no immediate effect on the insurance marketplaces that are the backbone of the law, because they operate with money that isn't subject to the annual budget wrangling in Washington.\u003cbr/\u003eIn Florida, counsellors hoping to start enrolling consumers sat alone in a Pensacola office with no visitors in the first few hours on Tuesday. \u003cbr/\u003eWorkers were able to fill out the online application, but the website was unable to process it. \u003cbr/\u003e\"Up here in the Panhandle, I just think it's a matter of time until the word gets out, and we'll see ourselves busier and busier,\" said Amy Van Matre Wells, a social worker helping sign up people.\u003cbr/\u003eDown in Miami, Hispanic volunteers helped those in the Latino community sign up over the phone.  \u003cbr/\u003e\"Given the cultural dynamic, a lot of older folks in our community would have preferred the phone option anyway,\" said Luis Vasquez, a health care community organiser.  \u003cbr/\u003e\"Those of us who are younger are going to helping grandparents, the parents, navigate the online system in English where we would be translating a lot of the questions,\" he said. \u003cbr/\u003eThe Obama administration hopes to sign up 7 (m) million people during the first year and aims to eventually sign up at least half of the nearly 50 (m) million uninsured Americans through an expansion of Medicaid or government-subsidised plans.\u003cbr/\u003eBut if people become frustrated with the malfunctions in the computer-based enrolment process and turn away from the programme, the prospects for Obama's signature domestic policy achievement could dim.\u003cbr/\u003eMany states predicted that an initial surge of interest would test the online system, but they expect most people to sign up closer to December15, which is the deadline for coverage to start on January 1st. \u003cbr/\u003eCustomers have until the end of March to sign up in order to avoid tax penalties.\u003cbr/\u003eUnder the law, health insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to someone with a pre-existing medical condition and cannot impose lifetime caps on coverage. \u003cbr/\u003eThey also must cover a list of essential services, ranging from mental health treatment to maternity care.\u003cbr/\u003eDetroit, Michigan\u003cbr/\u003e1. Back shot of elderly African-American woman completing her health care registration and volunteer clapping\u003cbr/\u003e2. Wide of health care volunteers clapping for woman who just signed up for health insurance\u003cbr/\u003e3. SOUNDBITE (English) Charles Williams II, Pastor, King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We've seen young people, middle-aged people. We've seen retirees. Everybody is coming down. And so we hope that more folks will come down. We'll be here all day long.\"\u003cbr/\u003e4. Close of woman filling out health insurance registration forms\u003cbr/\u003e5. Mid of woman\u003cbr/\u003e6. Wide of volunteers at church helping residents sign up for health insurance\u003cbr/\u003eWashington DC\u003cbr/\u003e7. Wide of US President Barack Obama speaking at podium\u003cbr/\u003e8. SOUNDBITE  (English) Barack Obama, US President:\u003cbr/\u003e\"This is an historic day for a good reason. It's been a long time coming, but today Americans who have been forced to go without insurance can now visit healthcare.gov and enrol in affordable new plans that offer quality coverage. That starts today.\"\u003cbr/\u003e9. Wide of Obama speaking\u003cbr/\u003e10. SOUNDBITE (English) Barack Obama, US President:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We found out that there have been times this morning where the site has been running more slowly than it normally will. The reason is because more than one million people visited healthcare.gov before seven in the morning.\"\u003cbr/\u003ePortsmouth, New Hampshire \u003cbr/\u003e11. Deborah Lielasus sitting at home computer trying to sign up for health care through her state's new health care exchange\u003cbr/\u003e12. Close of exchange web site asking her to wait because the system is working slowly\u003cbr/\u003e13. SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Lielasus, signing up for health insurance:\u003cbr/\u003e\"It's hard to be really excited about it today. I mean obviously I'm excited on a personal level that I'm going to save a few dollars, but, I don't know. I would almost pay those dollars to get the government back running.\"\u003cbr/\u003ePensacola, Florida \u003cbr/\u003e14. Close of social worker getting a \"wait\" message when logging on to healthcare.gov at a community help centre\u003cbr/\u003e15. Close of \"please wait\" message on healthcare.gov\u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE (English) Amy Van Matre Wells, Social Worker:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Up here in the Panhandle, I just think it's a matter of time until the word gets out, and we'll see ourselves busier and busier.\"\u003cbr/\u003e17. Wide of empty community help centre\u003cbr/\u003eMiami, Florida\u003cbr/\u003e18. Tilt up to volunteer helping register Hispanic Americans for health insurance over the phone\u003cbr/\u003e19. Volunteer speaking in Spanish over the phone\u003cbr/\u003e20. Wide of health care community organiser explaining health care registration to elderly man\u003cbr/\u003e21. SOUNDBITE (English) Luis Vasquez, Health Care Community Organiser:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Given the cultural dynamic, a lot of older folks in our community would have preferred the phone option (versus online) anyway. And hopefully those of us who are younger are going to helping grandparents, the parents, navigate the online system in English where we would be translating a lot of the questions for our parents either way.\"\u003cbr/\u003e22. Wide of health care volunteers\u003cbr/\u003ePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania\u003cbr/\u003e23. Wide of health insurance worker handing out a calendar to commuters, reminding them that it is enrolment day\u003cbr/\u003e24. Insurance worker holding up calendar in train station\u003cbr/\u003e25. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Lobley,  Senior Vice President, Independence Blue Cross:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We started engaging consumers today, started answering questions. We handed out calendars for folks that started on October 1st so they know today is the first day they're available to buy insurance.\"\u003cbr/\u003e26. 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