Coverage California says healthcare enrollment glitch is temporary

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- California said it is fixing glitches in its online healthcare insurance exchange website in the first week of enrollment under the Affordable Care Act.

A key concern among potential clients and the medical community is the lack of access to the list of doctors available through the insurance exchange, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Coverage California, the program operating the state's exchange -- which is expected to be the country's largest -- said problems should be resolved by Monday.

The state said the initial delay was due to concerns over heavy traffic in the first few days of the program, which forced them to use technical resources elsewhere.

Some clients and doctors said the lack of a list of available doctors was, in effect, a deal breaker.

"We've been going to see the same doctors for years and years. I would definitely check before I sign up," said Los Angeles actor Mark Sande, 58.

"It's a little late to sign people up and then tell them who they can see. We don't want a bait and switch," said Ted Mazer, an ear, nose and throat surgeon in San Diego.

The state has said 80 percent of the physicians in California should be available through the exchange but some doubts persisted.

"Without the network directories, we really don't know. It's guesswork," Lisa Folberg, a vice president at the California Medical Association, told the Times.

"We want to make sure consumers have all the information they need to make the best decisions about their insurance," she said.