UPDATE: Minnesota Health Exchange Appears Open For Business

While there was no immediate official announcement, the MNsure website began offering sign-up and plan information around mid-afternoon Tuesday after missing the original goal of Tuesday morning. A MNsure spokeswoman did not immediately return a call seeking details.

MNsure officials pushed the launch back on Monday, saying they wanted to make sure the system connected properly with federal computer systems and that it was secure before consumers started using it to shop for coverage.

Across the country, the portals at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul have struggled to handle the volume of consumers on the first day of a six-month open enrollment period.

Roughly 300,000 uninsured Minnesotans are expected to buy insurance via MNsure.