Navigators in Illinois and Kansas reported that the Web site worked relatively smoothly, but not entirely. Some consumers were placed in online queues — a relatively new feature of HealthCare.gov for periods when the site has more traffic than it can handle; rather than being allowed to apply on the spot, the system collects information to notify people by e-mail when they can return.
An administration official said this queuing began at about 11 a.m. Monday and was intermittent, as traffic ebbed and flowed through the day.
Others had difficulty getting their identities verified or were booted out of the system while shopping for plans. Navigators said that such logistical complications — Monday or in the past — seemed to be prompting anxiety among some people, including those with pending medical appointments.
For example, Caitlin Zibers, a patient navigator at Health Partnership Clinic in Olathe, Kan., was planning Monday afternoon to help enroll a young man who had called in the morning saying he desperately wanted insurance because he needs a liver transplant and is scheduled to see a specialist in late January. Two other people whom Zibers attempted to help Monday morning encountered messages on the Web site that the system was overloaded and that they should try later.