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"Just in time for Christmas -- and a key deadline -- New Hampshire has a new website to help educate consumers about buying insurance under the federal health care overhaul law.Monday had been the deadline for buying coverage that starts Jan. 1, but it has been extended to Tuesday to accommodate a last-minute rush of applicants. Tuesday also was the first day for CoveringNewHampshire.org, the website created to help New Hampshire residents explore their options.Consumers won't use the website to sign up for coverage -- they must use the federal healthcare.gov website, call a federal help line or visit an in-person assister to start the enrollment process. But the site provides New Hampshire-specific information about the 11 plans they can choose from, financial assistance they may qualify for and where to find helpers in their area.It features an image of a covered bridge, and is divided into four main sections: \"Learn More,\" ''Financial Assistance,\" ''Get Covered Now\" and \"Get Help.\" There's a calculator to estimate health insurance premiums and financial assistance, a calendar of events related to the law and health policy in general and contact information for the various organizations serving as in-person assisters.\"The site will allow you to compare plans and find one that meets your needs and your budget before you enroll,\" said Mike Degnan, director of the New Hampshire Health Plan.New Hampshire, which has about 150,000 uninsured residents, opted against setting up its own insurance marketplace, but the state is partnering with the federal government to manage the health plans and provide consumer assistance.Compared with many other states, it got off to a late start with the latter because Republicans initially blocked the state Insurance Department from accepting federal money, prompting the New Hampshire Health Plan to apply for the money instead.In addition to the website, the $5 million grant is being used to pay for marketplace assisters at six community organizations and for an advertising campaign that is still being developed. The company awarded the marketing and website contract has been holding focus groups and planning a telephone poll to gather detailed information about what consumers know about the health care system, how they use it and where they turn for information.The federal enrollment website was plagued by technical problems for weeks after its October opening, but hundreds of upgrades to storage capacity and software have cut error rates and wait times."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wmur.com/article/nh-launches-health-overhaul-website/5186920>