One thing they could have done that would have saved A TON of load is not require users to sign up before giving them a list of available plans. ...
My guess is millions of people just wanted to check prices and eliminating the database load for those users would have probably kept things running fast and smooth.
That's all I wanted to do (I have employer-based coverage for now). I turned back once I realized you needed an account to see this, but assumed it was due to some policy issue or agreement with the insurers.