You don’t need the healthcare.gov website to enroll (as nice as that may be)

Columnists are already creating angst over the problems created by the current failure of the marketplace website. Should the mandate to carry insurance be delayed, the enrollment period extended? Under the law the penalty kicks in if a person does not have health insurance on April, 1, 2014. But there is a hardship extension.

At the same time this is all going on the Secretary of HHS is sending out an e-mail explaining the alternative enrollment options.

And we are taking other steps to meet the consumer demand for affordable health insurance. There are four basic ways to apply for health coverage through the Marketplace, and I want to tell you about them.

Apply online. Visit HealthCare.gov to get started.

Apply by phone. Call 1-800-318-2596 to apply for a health insurance plan and enroll over the phone. (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)

Apply in person. Visit a trained counselor in your community to get information and apply in person. Find help in your area at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.

Apply by mail. Complete a paper application and mail it in. You can download the paper application form and instructions from HealthCare.gov.

So while the website should be working and for many people is the easiest way to enroll, there are alternatives and the April deadline should not present a problem. Do we need to muck this up anymore than necessary?