Nearly half million apply for U.S. health insurance despite flaws: official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roughly half a million Americans have applied for health insurance through new federal- and state-run exchanges under President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, an administration official said on Saturday.

Problems with the federal marketplace's entry portal serving 36 states, the website Healthcare.gov, have put a brake on the ability of consumers to shop for federally subsidized health coverage and drawn derision from Republicans, who oppose the law, popularly known as Obamacare.

"The website is unacceptable, and we are improving it, but the product is good and across the country people are getting access to affordable care starting January 1," an administration official said.

"We are going to work intensely for the next six months to make sure we meet the demand."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Peter Cooney)

• Health Care Policy
• Health
• President Barack Obama
• health insurance

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nearly-half-million-apply-u-health-insurance-despite-003229409--sector.html
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