HealthCare.gov down for maintenance ahead of December 23 deadline

Reuters
A busy screen is shown on the laptop of a Certified Application Counselor as he attempted to enroll an interested person for Affordable Care Act insurance, known as Obamacare, at the Borinquen Medical Center in Miami, Florida October 2, 2013. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

(Reuters) - The website for individuals who want to buy individual insurance plans with income-based subsidies, HealthCare.gov, showed on Friday morning that it was down for scheduled maintenance, just a few days ahead of the December 23 deadline to enroll for coverage on January 1, 2014. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not have an immediate response on the maintenance, which has typically taken place overnight and on the weekend. The site, which was launched on October 1, has been riddled with technology issues but has been working better since repairs were made in November. (Reporting by Caroline Humer and Susan Heavey; Editing by James Dalgleish)