Enrollment Deadline Extended For Those Who Encountered Hiccups
The Obama administration announced a one-week “special enrollment” period ending Feb. 22 for people trying to enroll through healthcare.gov who encountered technical glitches or faced long waits through the call center on the final weekend. Most state exchanges have outlined similar policies. Meanwhile, Washington state became the first to extend the enrollment period to the April 15 tax filing deadline. Democrats are asking the federal government to do the same.
Politico:
Website Glitches Extend Obamacare Enrollment
For the second year, Obamacare enrollment isn’t exactly over when it’s over. The regular open enrollment season ended at midnight Sunday but the Department of Health and Human Services on Monday announced a one-week “special enrollment” period ending Feb. 22 for people trying to enroll through HealthCare.gov who encountered technical glitches or faced long waits through the call center on the final weekend. Most states have outlined similar policies. There’s also a growing chorus urging a separate special enrollment period around the April 15 tax filing deadline. (Villacorta, 2/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health Exchanges Extend Deadlines For Insurance Sign-Ups
Washington state on Monday became the first state to extend the sign-up deadline for health insurance until mid-April, allowing uninsured people to get health plans while filing their tax returns. Other states and the federal government’s HealthCare.gov insurance exchange, which serves 37 states, said they, too, are considering extending through the tax season the sign-up period that officially ended Sunday night. (Radnofsky and Armour, 2/16)
USA Today:
Feds, States Extend Obamacare Enrollment Period For Some
Americans who couldn't enroll in federal Obamacare insurance plans over the weekend because of computer glitches or long waits will now have until next Sunday to sign up, federal officials announced early Monday. "We are pleased that the vast majority of consumers were able to apply and pick a plan through HealthCare.gov or its call center without a problem," said Aaron Albright, spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "For those consumers who were unable to complete their enrollment because of longer than normal wait times at the call center in the last three days or because of a technical issue such as being unable to submit an application because their income could not be verified, we will provide them with a time-limited special enrollment period for March 1 coverage." (Ungar, 2/16)
USA Today:
Deadline To Sign Up For Health Care Extended For Some
Americans who couldn't enroll in federal health care insurance plans over the weekend because of computer glitches or long waits will now have until next Sunday to sign up, federal officials announced early Monday. (Ungar, 1/16)
The New York Times' Upshot:
Enrollment Period For Health Insurance Ends; Now The Tax Penalties Start
The Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment period ended on Sunday. Well, almost. Some computer problems over the weekend have led the administration to give a one-week extension to people who tried and failed to sign up. But its tax penalty season has just begun. ... for people who don’t understand how Obamacare works, unpleasant surprises are likely. Say you didn’t buy insurance last year, because you missed the deadline or you were unaware that subsidies would help make it affordable. You let this year’s enrollment period slide by for similar reasons. Only after it’s too late to sign up will you learn that you’ve been hit with a hefty fine for last year and will face a bigger one for next year. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 2/17)
The New York Times:
Senate Democrats Lobby For A Reprieve For Some Who Failed To Get Insurance
Senate Democrats urged President Obama on Sunday to allow extra time for some people to sign up for health insurance as hundreds of thousands of Americans raced to beat the enrollment deadline. More than 10 million people selected or were assigned to health plans in the latest enrollment period. Federal officials reported a final surge over the weekend, with more than 60,000 people using HealthCare.gov at times on Sunday. (Pear, 2/16)
The Associated Press:
Democrats Seek Relief From Health Law Penalties
The official sign-up season for President Barack Obama's health care law may be over, but leading congressional Democrats say millions of Americans facing new tax penalties deserve a second chance. Three senior House members strongly urged the administration Monday to grant a special sign-up opportunity for uninsured taxpayers who will be facing fines under the law for the first time this year. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/16)
The Associated Press:
Snag Affecting Health Law Sign-ups Gets A Fix
A technical problem that had been interfering with sign-ups for President Barack Obama's health care law has been fixed, officials say. Any consumer whose enrollment was hampered by the glitch will be provided with a special enrollment period. The problem popped up the day before a Sunday deadline to sign up for subsidized private health insurance. It had been intermittent, meaning some people were able to complete their applications and submit them, Health and Human Service Department spokeswoman Katie Hill said. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/14)
The Hill:
Healthcare.gov Hits Bump Ahead Of Deadline
Consumers had difficulty submitting their applications for health insurance on Healthcare.gov just one day before this year's deadline, a Health Department official said Saturday. (Barron-Lopez, 1/14)
The Fiscal Times:
Tech Issues Plague HealthCare.gov as Deadline Passes
In the final day leading up to Obamacare’s sign-up deadline, the website was once again hit with technical glitches that prevented people from signing up for health insurance. (Ehley, 2/16)
Politico:
Low-Key But On Target, Obamacare Season Nears Its End
Obamacare enrollment draws to a close Sunday night, and all signs point to the White House easily meeting its target of getting 9 million Americans covered in 2015 — a drama-free ending to a season that proved a 180-degree turnaround from last year’s many problems. (Pradhan, 2/13)