"We're working to resolve the issue as soon as possible," the website told users who attempted to sign up for health insurance on the federal exchanges. "Please try again later."
Before the site shut down, users who attempted to create an account were guided through various steps such as picking a user name and password. The process came to a grinding halt when it came time to pick various "security questions" for the account. The drop-down menu of security question options didn't work.
Later in the day, the security questions were fixed and working properly, but the site was still unable to register new users.
Before Tuesday's healthcare launch, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had warned that early technical hiccups were likely. In an afternoon speech addressing the government shutdown triggered by congressional opposition to the ACA, Obama acknowledged "there are going to be some glitches" as the website gets up and running, but he said those problems are typical whenever any new product or service is introduced. He noted that even Apple had to fix a computer bug in its new iOS 7 smartphone operating system.
"I don't remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones or iPads," Obama said, adding that the healthcare.gov website had received an unprecedented one million visitors by 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Obama said the government will be working to speed up the website so that it can better handle the heavy user demand, with the goal of making insurance shopping as easy and hassle-free as other online purchases.
"The same way you'd shop for a plane ticket on Kayak, or a TV on Amazon," Obama said.
He referred consumers to the healthcare.gov call center -- 1-800-318-2596 -- to get help by phone.
One South Florida resident hoping to take advantage of the new insurance options is Robert Leaver. Leaver, a 51-year-old substitute teacher and freelance musician from Flagami, was diagnosed with a neurological disorder last year.
Eager to get started, Leaver said he waited up until midnight -- when the plans were scheduled to go on sale -- to check out the new website. Leaver said his current insurance plan is too expensive. Recommended acupuncture and physical therapy treatments for his condition are not covered.
"I was stuck," Leaver said of his current insurance. "I couldn't leave because of my preexisting condition. No one else would take me"
At midnight, when Leaver logged into the affordable health care site, he couldn't get past the security questions. Around 6a.m., he still couldn't get through.
"I clicked refresh, refresh, refresh. I got nothing," he said.
Leaver said he was not discouraged. He expected some problems on the first day of enrollment.
"For a government website, I was actually impressed," he said. "I'm giving them a chance. I'm not stressed about not being able to enroll today."
He hopes to find a plan that works for him by the end of the week.
Though most states are using the federal marketplace website, some states set up their own online insurance exchanges. California officials did a better job than the federal government in getting their website ready. Visitors to the coveredca.com website were able to easily pull up and compare the prices of healthcare plans from different providers.
The online exchanges are the centerpiece of healthcare reform. They're set up to give consumers unprecedented power to examine an extensive menu of health plans and benefits side by side.
But with Florida relying on the federal system, the computer glitches prevented the state's residents from finding out how much they'll have to pay for insurance.
Reginald Zackery was one of about two dozen people who tried to sign up for insurance Tuesday morning at the Jessie Trice Community Health Center in Brownsville. He got as far as picking an online login and password, but then the problems with the federal website prevented him from proceeding any further. Zackery, 54, had to make an appointment to return next week to view his coverage options and finalize his decision.
Zackery is anxious to get health insurance, which he lost about a year ago after being laid off from a job that provided coverage.
"I want to see what my choices will be because having insurance will change my situation drastically," Zackery said. "I need that safety net."
For Florida, where an estimated 3.8 million people live without health insurance, the exchanges could make an especially big impact. The state ranks near the top of the nation in terms of plan choices, with an average of 102 health plans to choose from on the state's federally run exchange.
The U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez, was scheduled to hold a Tuesday afternoon press conference at a Miami elementary school, but the event was cancelled at the last minute. Officials blamed the cancellation on "a lapse in funding" -- an apparent reference to the federal government shutdown caused by gridlock in Congress.
The congressional bickering is only the latest example of how politically polarizing the Affordable Care Act is. While much of the debate has focused on the individual mandate -- upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2012 and requiring most Americans to have minimum essential health insurance in 2014 -- less attention has been given to the overall cost of the law.
With nearly 50 million uninsured Americans, the ACA aimed to insure nearly everyone -- at an estimated cost of more than $900 billion over the next decade, from 2010 to 2019.
Who pays for that?
Many assume that, like most anything else, more or better healthcare equals more cost.
That assumption is not necessarily correct, said Steven Ullmann, a professor at the University of Miami School of Business Administration and director of its Center for Health Sector Management and Policy.
Ullmann offered an example of a hospital that improved the quality of patients' health while also lowering costs. The hospital, which Ullmann declined to name , had experienced a large number of patients who were repeatedly admitted with asthma and respiratory distress.
Social workers who visited the patients spotted a trend: In almost every household visited, they saw air-conditioning units with vents full of dust and mold.
Hospital administrators bought new air-conditioning units, at $90 apiece, for the patients. The number of patients admitted for asthma and respiratory distress fell dramatically -- saving the hospital the expense of caring for them and improving the health of patients.
"Much of healthcare can be provided much more efficiently and, in so doing, provide higher quality,'' Ullmann said.
The law also is expected to lower healthcare costs in another way: by spreading the risk of insurance. By expanding health coverage to include both those least likely to become seriously ill and those already or likely to become sick, the law was projected to reduce uncompensated care, lowering healthcare costs for the country and even reducing the national deficit.
The Obama administration pledged that health reform would save more than $200 billion over 10 years, and more than $1 trillion in the second decade. More cost reductions are expected from emphasizing preventive services and rewarding providers that deliver positive outcomes for patients.
It will take more than healthcare savings to pay for it all, though.
New fees and taxes will be levied on individuals and businesses, including a 40 percent tax on so-called Cadillac plans, beginning in 2018, on high-cost, benefits-rich health plans. And new regulations will require doctors, hospitals and insurance companies to operate more efficiently, or pay penalties.
Budget cuts are also in the mix as federal funding will be reduced for hospitals that treat disproportionate numbers of uninsured individuals. The government currently sends about $11.6 billion a year to states to distribute to these hospitals -- including Jackson Health System in Miami-Dade -- but the health law called for payment cuts under the assumption that uninsured patients would enroll in insurance programs, including Medicaid.
Miami Herald writers Nadege Green, Kathleen McGrory, and Elizabeth deArmas contributed to this report.
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