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Source: American News, Aberdeen, S.mini storageD.Oct. 06--There's been strong interest in the federal health care program for which enrollment began less than a week ago, according to one of South Dakota's top health care providers.Getting registered takes a little doing, but the feedback has been good so far, said Pam Muller, chief administrative officer for Avera Health Plans.Avera is one of three groups -- Sanford and Dakotacare are the others -- certified to sell policies in South Dakota as part of the new federal health insurance program under which health insurance is available to all citizens. The enrollment period began Tuesday.The number of applicants has not yet been compiled by the federal government. But, according to an email from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, people do want to learn more about the program and are shopping."Traffic on the website and the call center continues to be high, suggesting a sustained interest by consumers in the health coverage options. Since Tuesday, healthcare.gov has received 8.6 million unique visitors, our call center has received 406,000 calls and we have 225,000 requests for online chats," the email said.HHS, though, is strapped because of the shutdown of the federal government.Not all of the folks hopping on the Internet to learn about the federal program are having luck enrolling or finding the information they need."It is slow going getting out to the healthcare.gov site and getting registered," Muller said.But, she added, there's no need to worry. The enrollment period runs through March 31, leaving plenty of time for learning about and selecting a policy, she said."And the good news is that we've received our first batch of enrollees from the federal marketplace Wednesday," she said.She wasn't sure how many people were enrolled in an Avera plan as of Friday afternoon.The state Division of Insurance can't track numbers, either, since it did not start its own health insurance exchange, rather it left that job to the federal government, said Melissa Klemann, assistant director of the division.She said her office has fielded calls with questions about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in recent days, but not discernibly more than before the enrollment period started.The state operates an educational website -- healthreform.sd.gov. To enroll or shop, though, people have to visit the federal site, too.Muller said there was no good way for Avera to know what to expect when the enrollment period began because the implementation of a federal health care program is unprecedented. But she has visited with some enrollees. And, she said, those are the people who have had good things to say about the program and process.Generally speaking, Muller said, people who are on Medicare or Medicaid or who have health insurance through their employers don't have to do anything or worry about the enrollment period. But people who are uninsured, self-employed or have pre-existing conditions should take a look at options, 迷你倉he said.Each of the policy providers in South Dakota offer four tiers of coverage -- bronze, silver, gold or platinum, she said. Shoppers will likely find the costs and benefits similar, though there will be nuances, she said.Muller said that, based on what she's heard, it takes about 45 minutes to enroll online. She said the website has a helpful checklist of information needed to enroll.First, Muller said, shoppers will be asked for a variety of information, then the website will show the different plans available from different providers and their costs and benefits. The website also will let users know whether they qualify for a tax credit to offset costs. A South Dakota resident won't be shown a plan only available in Iowa, she said. And website users can look at their options without having to enroll, she said.The lower-tier plans have lower premiums, but higher deductibles, Muller said. The highest-tier plan (platinum) is considerably more expensive, she said.People who enroll by Dec. 15 are eligible for coverage starting Jan. 1. According to a study, the average premium for the lowest-level plan for a South Dakota family of four with an income of $50,000 will be $141 a month. That's higher than most surrounding states and above the national average of $95.A state review of premium rates under the ACA is not yet finished, Klemann said.HHS said online users should notice considerable improvements to the website by Monday. Work being done during off-peak hours includes:Adding extra space to allow more users.Adding more technicians working around the clock to find and fix problems.Having more trained representatives available to take calls. Wait times at toll-free numbers are now less than a minute.Individuals interested in coverage should call 1-800-318-2596. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees should call 1-800-706-7893.Muller said there's a lot of misinformation about the program. Forwarded emails and Facebook posts often aren't reliable, she said, but the federal website is.Nobody will be, for instance, taken to jail if they don't enroll in the federal program, Muller said.According to the state Division of Insurance, the penalty for people who remain uninsured and do not qualify for exemptions is $94 per adult or 1 percent of the family income, whichever is greater. That fine goes up considerably in 2015.People who don't enroll before March 15, the ending date for the initial enrollment period, won't be able to do so until Oct. 1, Muller said. And that enrollment period will only last about a month and a half as opposed to six months like the ongoing session, she said.For policy providers, she said, the rollout of the program is not as much about selling policies as it is about educating people. Like folks trying to enroll, providers and the federal government are learning more as days pass.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the American News (Aberdeen, S.D.) 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