Four insurers enroll nearly 95% of California sign-ups

Nonetheless, experts say California's online marketplace increased competition in the state's individual market. Meanwhile, lower-than-expected enrollment in Oregon creates budget issues, and a Democratic congresswoman from Arizona calls on the administration to extend the enrollment deadline past April 15.

Modern Healthcare:  Calif. Health Exchange Promotes Competition, Even With Dominant Players
Four insurers accounted for nearly 95% of the 1.4 million health plans selected by customers on California's insurance exchange during the recently concluded open-enrollment period, but despite that concentration, experts say the exchange increased competition in individual markets around the state (Demko, 4/22).

The Oregonian: Cover Oregon Budget Crunch Overshadows Whether To Fix Bug-Ridden Health Insurance Exchange Or Go Federal
Money could be as important as technology on Friday, when the Cover Oregon board decides whether to give up on its bug-ridden, unfinished health insurance exchange and switch to the federal version instead. On Thursday, an advisory committee will hear from staff the odds that more than two years and $130 million worth of work by Oracle Corp, the lead information-technology vendor, can be salvaged in time for the next open enrollment period, which begins in November. Just as important, however, is the price tag for salvaging Oracle's work. That's because far lower than expected enrollment numbers have Cover Oregon quietly grappling with a budget crisis (Budnick, 4/22).

The Hill:  Dem Calls For Another ObamaCare Enrollment Extension
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is calling on the Obama administration to allow extra time for people attempting to enroll in health insurance coverage. The Obama administration has already extended the insurance enrollment period to April 15 for people who were "in line" on the federal exchange website by the original March 31 deadline. It has not allowed for more time beyond that date (Marcos, 4/22).