‘Pretty Specialized’

Some of those waiting needed assistance with difficult family situations. Leonilda Diaz of Manassas asked Burwell for help directly during a news conference at the enrollment center; her ex-husband, she said, had refused to provide her a document to prove she and her children qualify for Affordable Care Act coverage, she told the secretary.

“I need to have insurance no matter what,” Diaz said later in an interview. “I just need to take care of myself and my kids.”

Health clinic officials and Burwell’s aides quickly ushered Diaz to the front desk of the center. Diaz said she had tried and failed to obtain coverage last year.

“This is a case that’s a pretty specialized one,” Burwell said. “We’ll follow up. Let’s see if we can help.”

Americans buying Obamacare plans for 2015 can expect to pay about 3 percent more on average for the cheapest coverage -- a small increase by historical standards -- though premium changes vary widely by state.

“Bronze”-level insurance, the least expensive full- coverage plans available, will cost at least $307 a month on average for a 50-year-old nonsmoker next year, according to U.S. data released yesterday and analyzed by Avalere Health, a Washington consulting firm. The cheapest “silver” plans, the category most popular with consumers, would cost the same person $381 on average, a 4 percent increase from a year before.

Recalculate Eligibility

It won’t just be new enrollees using the healthcare.gov website in coming weeks: The Obama administration has encouraged those who enrolled in 2014 to return to the site to recalculate their eligibility. Those who don’t will find their 2014 insurance automatically renewed on Dec. 15, and in some cases the premiums may be sharply higher. Enrollees will also be given the same subsidy as 2014, even if their income has changed.

Enrollment events similar to the one in Virginia are being held around the country. At one in Chicago, William Carothers, an insurance broker for The Insurance Exchange Ltd., said many consumers have “preconceived notions” and little knowledge about Affordable Care Act programs.