If you started enrolling before midnight on February 15, you can still get covered. But don’t delay!
This post has been updated to reflect that all states have granted extensions.
It’s not like there wasn’t plenty of advance notice. But if you were trying to sign up for health insurance and didn’t finish the process before midnight on February 15, you’re in luck. All states running their own exchanges and the federal government are granting extensions — but some of them are only for a few days.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that anyone who is currently uninsured and living in one of the states that uses Healthcare.gov as their Insurance Marketplace can continue any enrollment process they started before midnight on February 15. The deadline to complete the application has been extended by one week, to Sunday, February 22. Coverage will be effective March 1.
Erin Knott, Michigan State Director for Get Covered America, explains what this means to Michiganders and folks in the other states using Healthcare.gov.
This special enrollment period provides a major opportunity for Michigan’s uninsured to get health coverage for 2015. It’s important for everyone who started their application but were unable to finish it to act as soon as possible. Michiganders who experienced delays resulting from issues with HealthCare.gov, high call volume on the enrollment hotline, or other complications have until February 22 to complete their enrollment through the Marketplace. Get Covered America will continue reaching out to these consumers to answer questions and encourage them to enroll if they’re eligible.
Some states that operate their own Insurance Marketplace are being even more generous with deadline extensions. In fact, some will let people who didn’t start their application yet sign up for coverage during the extension. Other states are cutting off their extensions sooner — so check on your state’s extension right away.
Charles Gaba has been tracking enrollment extensions in all the states and you can find out the status of extensions in your state over at ACA Signups.
In the week leading up to February 22, the Get Covered America campaign will make 25,000 calls to consumers across the country who may be eligible to enroll during the special enrollment period and offer them in-person help completing the enrollment process. You can also schedule an appointment to get free expert assistance directly through the Get Covered Connector, which has more than 13,000 appointments available over the next week.
But seriously, don’t wait until the last minute. Finish your application right now if you want to get covered. Visit Healthcare.gov to see if you’re eligible for the special enrollment period. Visit ACA Signups for information on state-based Insurance Marketplace extensions.
[CC photo by Will O’Neill | Flickr]
