An added layer to this shit storm is that the actual deadline for signing up is December 15th because that's when open enrollment ends. After open enrollment, whatever plan you choose (or if you choose to go without), you're stuck with until next year (caveat being that there are some qualifying events like divorce or job change where you're allowed to alter your selection).
So, here we are 3 weeks (actually less than 3 weeks now) out from having to make a final decision, and we're getting inconsistent as well as contradictory information from the federal government. These decisions take a lot of time for us to make, the rules made by the federal government should have been clear and in place well in advance of open enrollment season.
The monthly payment for my current plan is going up close to 50% (comparing non-subsidized price btw), but also comes with higher out-of-pocket expenses (copay, deductibles) and higher maximum out of pocket (lower is better). So, we're getting much less while paying substantially higher rates. Keep in mind, I'm only comparing the unsubsidized cost of the plans, but many people on ACA plans are receiving tax credits (i.e. subsidies) that cover all or part of their current plans. So for those folks who won't get that tax credit anymore, double the cost is probably understating how much more expensive it will be.
This unprecedented rise in expense means a lot of us are looking at the risk versus reward aspect of whether it makes sense to even have health insurance. That's an extremely difficult decision to have to make, then on top of that, for those that decide to stick with an ACA plan, choosing a plan is itself a monumental task with all the considerations and variables you have to keep track of. It takes a lot of time, research, effort and now in the final days of open enrollment, we're not even in a position to make these decisions based on a solid foundation of information -- the rug could be pulled and a wrench thrown in at any moment.
Maybe I'm being overly negative, but it also won't surprise me when these systems go down or have technical issues on the final day(s) because of extreme volume of use due to so many of us having to wait last minute.