HHS posts data on available plans in 36 states

Having trouble logging in to healthcare.gov? Have no fear. In response to opening-day technical glitches and heavy traffic to its insurance marketplace website, HHS posted data Tuesday afternoon showing available plans and premiums across the 36 states with federally facilitated insurance exchanges.

A total of 140 insurance issuers are offering 1,779 different insurance plans across the marketplace, according to the data.

HHS provided sample premiums for each plan, based on six different coverage scenarios: a child, a 27-year-old, a 50-year-old, a family with 30-year-old parents and two children, a 30-year-old single parent with two children, and a 40-year-old couple with no children.

Not surprisingly, the data showed wide variations in plan choice and premiums from one region of the country to another.

For instance, a bronze-tier monthly premium before tax credits for a 50-year old is $171 in Comanche County, Okla., and $638 in Pinal County, Ariz.

Silver-level premiums for a two-parent family with two children in Ida County, Iowa, ranged from $688 to $894, while silver-level family plans in Broward County, Fla., range from $587 to $1,186.

In Catoosa County, Ga., a 27-year-old can choose from 21 different plans offered by two insurance companies—Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Alliant Health Plans—with monthly premiums ranging from $199 to $397 before tax credits. A 27-year-old living in Kanawha County, W.Va., on the other hand, can select from 13 plans—all of them offered by Highmark Blue and Cross Blue Shield West Virginia—with monthly premiums ranging from $183 to $302.

The sample data, while not complete, should provide some guidance to consumers while HHS works to beef up capacity and address other technical issues. A visit to the site at 4 p.m. EDT was met with a delay screen: “We're working to make the experience better, and we don't want you to lose your place in line. We'll send you to the login page as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience!”

Follow Maureen McKinney on Twitter: @MHMMcKinney