'Obamacare' enrolment deadline looms as interest spikes

Americans are rushing to sign up for health insurance under President Barack Obama's signature healthcare programme, as a key enrolment deadline looms.

Monday is the last day for most Americans to sign up for coverage or face a penalty next year.

More than six million have signed up for plans through the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplaces.

But conservatives are expected to tap into discontent with the law in November's midterm elections.

The elections will determine the shape of Congress for Mr Obama's last two years in office.

'Software bug'

The federally run health insurance marketplace website healthcare.gov, which saw major technical glitches during its rollout in October, was briefly out of service for several hours on Monday morning.

Visitors were advised the site was down for maintenance or directed to a virtual waiting room.

Spokesman Aaron Albright said routine nightly maintenance was extended on Monday because of a "technical problem".

The Department of Health and Human Services called it "a software bug" unrelated to the rush of applications.

The 2010 law, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is intended to extend health insurance to the roughly 48 million Americans who do not receive it through their employers, the government, or a privately purchased plan.

The law also aims to slow the growth in the cost of healthcare through various measures and requires private plans to meet a certain level of coverage.

The health law has been vigorously opposed by the Republican Party and by conservatives in the private sector who see it as an inappropriate government intrusion into the massive healthcare industry and an affront to personal liberty.

The law also remains controversial among the American public, as some people have seen their insurance costs rise or their old plans cancelled, and others object to having to purchase insurance at all.

Healthcare.gov and similar marketplace websites run by some states are a key element of the Affordable Care Act, providing a clearinghouse for people to purchase health insurance for themselves and their families, often with generous subsidies.

Those who are not covered by private insurance or government programmes by the end of Monday will face a tax penalty, although the Obama administration has extended a grace period for those who can prove they have had technical issues with the site.