A last-minute surge of Californians trying to sign up for health insurance before Monday's midnight deadline slowed down the state's enrollment website and lengthened wait times for people who called the agency's toll-free number for help.
More than 155,000 people signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act from March 24 through 2 a.m. Monday, pushing total enrollment in the state health exchange past 1.2 million Californians. As of 5 p.m. Monday, Covered California's website had 420,000 unique visitors for the day and 7.7 million page views, more than four times the agency's previous busiest day on Dec. 23.
The federal government had problems of its own Monday as its troubled website, HealthCare.gov, became so overwhelmed that it twice stopped taking new applicants. Government officials blamed the problem on a technical glitch that they said was resolved later in the day, but users continued to report difficulties.
California, which runs its own exchange, did not appear to have that level of problems.
In a news conference Monday, Peter V. Lee, Covered California's executive director, said people who called in to the agency for help were being kept on hold for an average of more than 40 minutes, despite the recent hiring of 250 new customer service representatives.
"While we might have preferred they signed up earlier, we are happy to see so many Californians getting the message," he said.
Because of the delays, some prospective enrollees may be asked to complete the rest of the sign-up process later, he said.
At the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in Chinatown on Monday afternoon, more than 100 people were waiting for in-person help.
Rosa Ramirez, 59, said she drove from San Jose for the event, which was sponsored by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
2-month struggle
Ramirez is unemployed but used to have private insurance. She said she had been trying unsuccessfully for two months to sign up for coverage online or by phone with Covered California, and had trouble finding a live person to help.
"They scare you. They're going to fine you," said Ramirez. "How much are they going to fine me? How much are they going to charge me for insurance? That's what I need to know."
Kay Roebuck of Alameda waited until the last minute to sign up because she never expected to need to. Roebuck, a licensed vocational nurse studying to be a registered nurse, had a job at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center until late last week.
Roebuck, 49, lost her job benefits and was scrambling to secure coverage.
"Now we're part of America - no insurance and no jobs," she said.
Officially, those who are uninsured had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to enroll for health coverage, but anyone who began the application process by opening an account and making it past the first few steps will have until April 15 to complete the process and choose a plan.
Penalties kick in
But people who had not made an attempt to buy health care coverage by the Monday deadline will face financial penalties. The tax penalty is $95 for an individual for the year, or up to 1 percent of income above the tax filing threshold of $10,000 - whichever is greater.
The Monday deadline does not apply to those eligible for Medicaid, the health program for the poor known as Medi-Cal in California. They can sign up at any time. People who discover they are not eligible for Medi-Cal may qualify for subsidies to help them buy private coverage through the state exchange.
After Tuesday, some people may still be able to sign up for health insurance coverage, but only under special circumstances known as a "qualifying life event." This includes losing a job, along with employer-provided health insurance; getting a new job; getting married; having children; or moving to a new area with different coverage options.
For more information, call Covered California at (800) 300-1506 or visit the agency's website at www.coveredca.com.
Victoria Colliver is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vcolliver@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @vcolliver
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