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At crunch time for health sign-ups, hold times are growing

Friday at midnight Pacific time is the deadline to enroll in most states.

This March 1, 2014 file photo shows part of the website for HealthCare.gov as photographed in Washington. Welcome news for the Obama administration: A major new survey out Monday says the U.S. uninsured rate kept dropping last month and it’s now on track to reach the lowest levels since 2008, before President Barack Obama took office. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index finds that 15.9 percent of Americans lack health insurance so far in 2014, down from 17.1 percent in the last three months of 2013. Gallup interviewed more than 28,000 adults, making the results highly accurate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration says it is trying to accommodate consumers as hold times grow for those seeking to enroll in insurance under the federal health care law.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Thursday that some callers to HealthCare.gov are being asked to leave their contact information. A spokeswoman says operators will call them back and they'll be able to get coverage effective Jan. 1.

Sign-up season is half as long this year, but consumer interest has been strong. As of Dec. 9, about 4.7 million people had enrolled in the 39 states served by HealthCare.gov. That's roughly 17 percent more customers than at the same time last year.

Friday at midnight Pacific time is the deadline to enroll in most states.