A key component of U.S. President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare bill began on Tuesday, despite the shutdown of the federal government, which was sparked by conservative Republicans trying to derail law designed to extend insurance coverage to millions of America, The Belfast Telegraph reported.
Americans are able to shop for the first time on insurance marketplaces that open around the U.S. The "online exchanges open after months of buildup as President Obama and his allies tried to convince skeptical American of the merits of the plan that could define his legacy," the newspaper added.
There have been reported technical glitches and delays associated with the plan, which Republicans have seized on, in an effort to show that the law is not ready to work, nor will ever be. American have six months to enroll through the echancess, and the White House has said that glitches are common for any big new program that is introduced.
"I would suspect that there will be glitches. This is 50 states, a lot of people signing up for something. And there are going to be problems," Mr Obama said. "But what we're confident about is that people will be able to take a look and find out whether this is something that is going to be good for their families.
This announcement comes as the government shutdown has affected the federal government, and its employees. The shutdown, however, will not have any immediate effect on the insurance marketplaces since they operate with "money that is not subject to the annual budget wrangling in Washington," the newspaper said.
Many Republicans have been opposed to the law, especially a mandate that all Americans have health care insurance or face tax penalties.
The Obama administration hopes to sign up seven million people during the first year and has a goal of eventually signing up at least half of the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans through an expansion of Medicaid, news reports said.
