Man with critically ill son gives up on Healthcare.gov after more than 50 tries

John Gisler has been trying to buy an Obamacare plan for his sick son since the federal exchange launched on October 1, but after nearly three months, three failed applications, and “maybe 50 or 100” calls exchange’s hotline, he’s given up. Faced with the risk of not having insurance on January 1, Gisler has opted to buy an individual plan from a local insurance broker.

The Washington Post’s Sarah Kliff reports that Gisler and his son are just one story of potential 15 million other people who may fall into the “coverage gap” of people who saw their plans canceled and still can’t enroll in the exchanges. In the case of Gisler’s son, who has a rare degenerative condition, the plan is ending because Utah’s high-risk pool is being shut down at the end of this year.