Vermont Health Connect is extending its customer support call center hours over the next two weekends as part of a push to help enroll Vermonters prior to the March 31 deadline for open enrollment.
Deficiencies in the insurance marketplace’s website prompted the Shumlin administration to extend the period when Vermonters could sign up, and now that window is closing.
People who need coverage starting in April to avoid being uninsured must select a plan by March 15.
The state announced improvements to the back-end of the website and its user interface earlier in the week, but there are still significant problems that can derail people’s attempts to enroll.
For Vermonters struggling to navigate the under-performing site, the call center can be instrumental. The staff can help people complete an online application they’ve already started or enroll them over the phone.
The state has reduced the call center’s wait times dramatically over the past several months, but officials warned that the increased call volume expected in the waning days of open enrollment is likely to see those rise.
These are the Call Center’s hours for the next two weeks:
• Saturday, March 8 — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, March 9 — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, March 10 to Friday, March 14 — 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday, March 15 – 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To contact the call center, Vermonters should call 855-899-9600.
