High volume slows Maryland's health exchange website

Heavy volume on the newly opened Maryland health exchange website pushed those looking to buy insurance into virtual waiting rooms for up to a half-hour Wednesday morning. Wednesday had been billed as the day the public would gain full access to the newly rebuilt website. Officials and those using the portal said the online delays were resolved later in the day. The hiccup could reflect the level of interest in buying insurance on the site — which officials said was designed to accommodate thousands of users at a time. About 80,000 people have visited the site and nearly 10,700 applications have been started.