Washington state's new health insurance exchange is open and ready for business on its second day of operation.
Computer problems closed the website for the health insurance marketplace for hours on Tuesday morning, its first day of operation.
A spokesman for the exchange says glitches are part of the story for any new software launch. Michael Marchand says the problem on Tuesday was not related to the volume of visitors or the federal government shutdown.
In addition to the online marketplace, Washington residents can sign up by telephone or in person. Officials say it takes about an hour to go through the process for an individual or a little longer for a family.
Washington officials estimate about a million state residents do not have health insurance.