Hawaii’s highly anticipated health insurance exchange opened Tuesday with a flood of inquiries from consumers and small businesses eager to learn their new health plan options under the Affordable Care Act.

But many were disappointed to find no information on plans and prices on the online marketplace known as the Hawaii Health Connector.

As of noon Tuesday the exchange call center had received about 700 calls and by 2 p.m. had taken in 182 applications with the website informing applicants that the Connector would contact them in the coming weeks.

There was no mention on the website (hawaiihealthconnector.com) of enrollment delays due to a software glitch that made it impossible for applicants to compare and buy policies online, and call center representatives directed people to check back next week. Fine print on the Connector website still stated that the exchange would be "fully operational as a health insurance marketplace" on Oct. 1. The website also listed just 14 of the 34 so-called marketplace assisters selected to enroll people, particularly the uninsured, on the exchange.

"With all this hype that’s going on, the main thing we’re concerned about is, What is it going to cost us?" said Brian Iwata, 68, who attempted to compare prices on the exchange Tuesday for the 17 employees that cost his Big Island accounting firm — Taketa, Iwata, Hara & Associates — about $8,500 a month to cover. "We’ve heard all kinds of stories that (the rate) is going to be dramatically more; some say it’s not going to be much more. We’re curious as to what this thing is about so that we can plan. The year is coming to an end already."

Rick Budar, the Connector’s chief marketing officer, didn’t know the exact date when people will be able to compare and buy policies through the exchange, but said software problems should be resolved this month. States nationwide have had trouble enrolling people on the new marketplaces because of computer glitches and the sheer volume of inquiries.

"(The rates are) really not something that people need right now," Budar said. "The feedback we got from the majority of people was they didn’t want to see plans yet. They have too many questions. They can’t get into plan discussions until they really get a true understanding of the (Affordable Care Act). You’d be surprised the majority of people that are asking questions have no clue … how it affects them."

He added that people "don’t want to purchase until they have to because they don’t want to give any of their money early."

The bulk of purchases and enrollments will happen in late November and early December, he said.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a statement, "This is a work in progress and the state is monitoring the situation at the Hawaii Health Connector. I believe, like other health exchanges across the nation, the Connector will roll out improvements to its system in phases and provide the public with key information."

A call center representative said people can check whether they are eligible for Medicaid or tax credits. Open enrollment runs through March, but people must enroll by Dec. 15 for policies to take effect Jan. 1.

"We will have more than enough time to get everyone ready who wants a policy Jan. 1," Budar said.

But without rates available, the exchange is not that useful, said Mari­lyn Niwao, a certified public account on Maui who tried three or four times to find out what kind of rates were available for her eight employees at Niwao and Roberts CPA in Wai­­luku.

"It’s like going in blind," she said. "I was disappointed because I was very anxious to see what the rates would be for small businesses. It’s rather frustrating that we didn’t have the small-business rates issued prior to the Oct. 1 deadline. There are many businesses very worried to see what kind of rates they could get. This is crazy. Businesses cannot plan when they’re in flux."

States and federal governments have spent millions of dollars urging people to enroll on the new marketplaces nationwide, where individuals who buy their own insurance or have no coverage, and small companies can compare premiums for different plans, calculate subsidies and purchase policies.

Large businesses are not affected by the changes under the health reform law.

The Connector has received $205 million in federal grants to market and build its exchange, with an ambitious goal to enroll as many as 300,000 residents, including an estimated 100,000 uninsured.

The exchange is the only place where consumers earning up to 400 percent of the Hawaii poverty level ($52,920 for individuals, $108,360 for a family of four) and small groups, with 50 or fewer employees, can apply for tax credits to reduce the cost of health insurance.

The Connector is set to offer 95 plans varying in coverage, premiums and out-of-pocket co-payments and deductibles by the dominant carriers in the state, the Hawaii Medical Service Association and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.

President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, designed to make coverage affordable to all, requires most Americans be covered as of Jan. 1 or face penalties of $95 next year, or 1 percent of income, whichever is greater. The penalties rise each year thereafter.

Kawoon Shiu, a 46-year-old self employed computer consultant. was hoping to find a suitable plan after being uninsured for the past two years because he couldn’t afford the $750 monthly premium.

"Unfortunately, right now there’s no plans, so we have to wait to see what’s out there," said Shiu, who was getting enrollment information from his sister-in-law, who happens to be one of the Connector’s "marketplace assisters," assigned to seek out the uninsured and enroll them on the exchange. "I’ve been waiting for this long, so it really doesn’t matter (if the rates are delayed) for a couple months."