U.S. points Obamacare consumers to online assistance amid glitches

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. administration on Tuesday encouraged potential enrollees in Obamacare health coverage to seek in-person assistance from a call center and other sources after technical glitches emerged at the debut of the law's new online healthcare marketplaces. A federally run marketplace for consumers in 36 states began posting error messages soon after the system opened for enrollment at 8 a.m. EDT, citing online traffic as a reason for the difficulties. An administration official said experts were aware of the issue and were working to address it. "Consumers who need help can also contact the (federal) call center, use the live chat function or go to localhelp.healthcare.gov to find an in-person assistor in their community," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)