Gov. Deal: Health Exchange Glitches Don’t Come As Surprise

Gov. Nathan Deal said ongoing problems don’t come as surprise.

Deal said the exchange’s administrators are clearly having issues.

“It was something many of us feared would occur because it did not appear prior to October 1st that the necessary preparations had been made to make it work smoothly,” said Deal. “I am hopeful in the days this week and maybe the next week the exchanges will become more functional.”

Deal opted to allow the federal government to create the exchange, rather than have the state create its own. Despite the early glitches, Deal says he has no regrets.

“The federal government was always the agency that was supposed to provide the exchanges in the event the states elected not to do so and we were among the majority of the states that elected not to do it at the state level,” said Deal. “They knew this was coming, they knew it was coming for a very long time, but it’s obvious that it’s not as simple to put these in place as many people thought it might be.”

Federal officials say they’re working to fix the glitches. Ultimately, close to 900,000 Georgians are expected to shop for coverage on the exchange. This first eligibility period ends December 15, with plans going into effect January 1.