plans actually had to make decisions as to whether they would participate in the marketplace this spring and summer well before the website was launched. so although the website launch has been a fiasco it is not responsible for the number of plans participating. in general rural areas have a much smaller availability of health plans because it is harder for plans to contract with specific providers to form their network. so if you live in a rural area there are going to be fewer plans available than in an urban area regardless of the marketplace. plans may be hesitant to participate in states using the federal marketplace rather than states that chose to run their own. florida is not running its own marketplace.
just to point out my health insurance experience thus far my premiums are significantly higher with less benefits. . surprisingly at 3 of 4 level plans only blue cross is listed. if the "marketplace" is touting to be just that why is only one company listed? i live in florida. could it be that another negative to the website fiasco is that many insurers decided not to participate offering their plans per their websites? if there is an inkling of truth to this the issues with the marketplace could be far more reaching than not being able to sign up.