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MD Health Insurance Back Up Passes Senate

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland Senate has given final approval to a bill to help people who could not enroll in a private health plan on Maryland's health exchange website due to computer problems last year.

The Senate voted 34-7 on Wednesday to agree with changes made by the House.

The change requires the Maryland Health Insurance Plan to report to legislative panels about how enrollment is going for people who sought coverage for Jan. 1 but couldn't get through the website in time.

The Senate vote sends the emergency measure to Gov. Martin O'Malley for his signature.

Supporters say the measure is a backup plan for between a few hundred people and 5,000. Many of them will be able to get coverage retroactively, because insurers extended an enrollment deadline.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.