WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The government's move to delay for some people a requirement to buy medical insurance raised new doubts about the already chaotic rollout of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, just days before an enrollment deadline.
In another technical setback on Friday for the main website for enrollment, HealthCare.gov, U.S. officials said it would be down for a few hours to repair an error that occurred overnight.
The Obama administration said late on Thursday that people who have had their insurance plans canceled because of new standards under health policy reforms may be able to claim a "hardship exemption" to the requirement that Americans have coverage by March 31, or face a penalty.
While several million people have received policy cancellations, U.S. officials estimate that fewer than 500,000 would be affected by this delay in the so-called individual mandate. The mandate is a core part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, that aims to provide coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.
Republicans, who have opposed the health law all along as an unwarranted expansion of the federal government, quickly seized on the announcement as the latest sign that it is unworkable.
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