money ACA open enrollment deadline extended to Dec. 18
The open enrollment deadline to register for health insurance on the federal exchange has been extended to 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 18, to accommodate people who experienced problems signing up, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Monday.
The original deadline to get insurance through the Affordable Care Act was Dec. 15, but some consumers experienced long waits on hold at the call center and were not able to load the HealthCare.gov webpage in the final hours of enrollment, the CMS said.
“While the website and the call center remained open for business on December 15 with over half a million consumers enrolling throughout the day, some consumers were asked to leave their name at the call center,” a CMS spokesperson said in a press release.
Those consumers who have already left their contact information at the call center do not need to apply again during the extension, according to the CMS notice.
“There is always a surge of applications at the last minute since first year marketplace opened,” said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on national health issues. “Most years CMS has added at least a brief extension for consumers who were ‘in line’ to apply for coverage when the midnight deadline was reached.”
Extended deadlines
While the extended deadline is 3 p.m. EST on Dec. 18, some consumers may be eligible for a longer extension.
Those living in an area affected by a hurricane or other natural disaster can get extra time to sign up for coverage. An extension, though, is not automatic. To apply for one, you must call the federal marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596.
To qualify for an extension, you must confirm that you live in or moved from areas affected by a hurricane or other natural disaster in 2019 and that has been designated by FEMA as eligible to receive individual or public assistance.
Denitsa is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova.
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