Tipsheet

No Surprise Here: HealthCare.gov Closed for the Night

Not that anyone is clamoring to sign up, but the Health Insurance Marketplace closed yet again for extended maintenance from Saturday night through Sunday morning.

The technical train-wreck of a website has closed several times since opening Oct. 1.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius promised that the healthcare website would soon be running smoothly with the help of a “tech surge.” The Obama administration vowed November 30 would mark the repair deadline.

"The HealthCare.gov tech team is performing extended maintenance this weekend to improve network infrastructure and make enhancements to the online application and enrollment tools,” Joanne Peters, HHS spokesperson, said Saturday.

Healthcare.gov posted the following explanation:

“The Health Insurance Marketplace online application won't be available from around 9 p.m. EST Saturday, November 2 to 9 a.m. Sunday, November 3 while we make improvements. The rest of the site and the Marketplace call center remain available during these hours.”

It’s just a pity the Obama administration doesn’t put the website to bed permanently.