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MD Health Exchange Website Opens Early

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland's revamped health exchange website has opened early for people to enroll in insurance plans.

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein announced on Twitter that the website was open for individuals to enroll on Tuesday, a day early.

Andrew Ratner, a spokesman for the exchange, says it seems to be working well so far. Ratner says 5,324 people have applied and 1,915 applications have been completed since early Tuesday afternoon.

Ratner says the state decided to open the website early after other aspects of a gradual rollout worked well.

Ratner says a call center took several hundred applications on Monday and Tuesday. A signup fair was held Saturday in Glen Burnie.

Last year, Maryland's website crashed right after it opened. The state used technology from Connecticut's exchange to revamp Maryland's website.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.