( CNN ) -- Buggy websites , long hold times and other glitches have marred the first two days of the long-awaited rollout of open enrollment for Obamacare health-care coverage . Blame the gawkers , at least in part , health-care experts said Wednesday . `` I think a lot of people trying to get on were just curious , like me , '' said Drexel University health policy expert Robert Field . `` Once that initial curiosity dies down and it 's just people who need policies , you 'll see much less traffic . '' In the 24 hours after its launch , more than 4.7 million people have visited the federal website providing signups in 34 states , Health and Human Services Department spokeswoman Joanne Peters said Tuesday . Government officials have n't said how many have actually signed up . `` We expect to see similar volume as yesterday , and while this overwhelming interest is continuing to cause wait times , there will be continuing improvements in the coming hours and days , '' Peters said . States running their own exchanges reported high traffic volumes as well , suggesting that the problems were related to the intense traffic : Too many people had bellied up to the virtual service counter , and the hardware dedicated to sending webpages to users ' computers could n't make out the questions for all the shouting . The effect is similar to , if less nefarious than , a common attack used by hackers to bring down websites : sending so much traffic its way that servers slow or even shut down . 'Too many people ' Such problems do not mean , as some Republican critics of the health plan have said , that Obamacare is already a failure , said Michael Doonan , an assistant professor at Brandeis University and a former program specialist with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who also served on President Bill Clinton 's health-care task force . `` It 's a technical problem , too many people coming in , '' he said . The exchanges are complex technological systems that require a lot of interplay between agencies , and there 's only so much engineers can do to test a system before opening it to the public , he said . `` You really need to test them in real time and then backfill with some of the things you really need to get them to work , '' Doonan said . Peters said the department is `` working to speed up the process '' and expects enrollment times to drop `` in the coming hours . '' Obstructionism ? There 's no evidence , Field said , that political opposition to the plan has had any negative effect on enrollment . The federal government is operating the exchange in 34 states , many of which refused to participate because of political opposition to the plan . In Georgia , for instance , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens as saying at a private political gathering in July that state leaders were doing `` everything in our power to be an obstructionist . '' According to Georgia Health News , the state is one of 15 that passed laws to regulating the work of patient advisers , or navigators , called for in the health-care law . But Field said such efforts , which could hinder efforts to reach people who may not be aware of the program or do n't have access to a computer , would n't have played any role in the glitches seen by enrollment websites the past two days . And Bill Rencher , who just passed the test to become a navigator in Georgia on Wednesday , said such efforts are n't having any effect on getting word out about the program . He predicted no problems signing up for anyone who wants coverage before the December 15 deadline to get coverage on January 1 . Consumers have until March 15 to sign up for coverage beginning in April . Just wait . Federal and many state officials in charge of the plans have suggested that consumers wait until the initial rush dies down before trying to shop for coverage . Meanwhile , Republicans -- locked with congressional Democrats and the president over efforts to eliminate the health reform program -- seized on the glitches as evidence that it has already failed . `` We have been warned time and time again that Obamacare is not ready for prime time . Well , it turns out that is right , '' Rep. Tim Huelskamp , R-Kansas , said Tuesday . But Sen. Dick Durbin , D-Illinois , said Wednesday that it 's only natural to expect `` some bumps in the road , glitches maybe , some problems with the website . '' President Barack Obama said as much Tuesday , noting that technology giant Apple had suffered glitches with its new smartphone operating system . `` I do n't remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones or iPads , '' he said .
Problems accessing Obamacare insurance exchange sites stem from big demand , experts say . Comment: The website is down for maintenance and will be back up in a few hours or so. Advocates suggest waiting to apply for insurance . Republicans say glitches prove health reform is n't ready .