If you start out at HealthCare.gov (for all the bad press about it, the first few clicks aren’t cumbersome), you may quickly find that any online sign-up process will have to occur on a state-run website, not on the federal site itself. Some populous states, including California, New York, and Massachusetts, are among more than a dozen running their own exchanges. The same is true for some smaller states including Hawaii.
The caveat: These state websites may have their own glitches or shortcomings. However, like HealthCare.gov, they typically offer the option of printing out forms and mailing them in.
