Federal Officials Extend ACA Open Enrollment Deadline For A Limited Time
Georgians still have time to sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance. Federal officials extended the open enrollment deadline after consumers had problems signing up over the weekend.
Consumers can pick plans on Healthcare.gov through the end of the day and into the early morning hours Wednesday. The new deadline is 3 a.m. EST on Dec. 18.
In a statement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says consumers who attempted to pick plans in the final hours of open enrollment “may have experienced issues.” The agency is extending the sign-up deadline “in an abundance of caution.”
Seema Verma, who leads the agency, said many consumers were unable to reach representatives at the Healthcare.gov call center on the final day of open enrollment.
While the website and the call center for https://t.co/RhAQ546lI5 #OpenEnrollment remained open for business on Dec. 15, w/ over half a million consumers enrolling throughout the day, some consumers were asked to leave their name at the call center. https://t.co/zNNxtNoAMb
— Administrator Seema Verma (@SeemaCMS) December 16, 2019
In a tweet, she said the extended deadline is “to ensure a seamless shopping experience for everyone seeking coverage.”
Verma also said people who left messages with the Healthcare.gov call center should expect a call back this week.
That’s welcome news to Cathy Bowden, who helps people enroll in Obamacare health coverage with the Georgia Primary Care Association.
“We experienced technical issues with applications dropping,” she said. “We welcome this extension as consumers are really eager to enroll but unfortunately waited till the last minute to try and sign up.”
It’s not the first time problems with Healthcare.gov have stopped people from enrolling in health coverage. The roll-out of the website in 2013 was very rocky, and people signing up this year faced issues during the first day of open enrollment.
It’s also not uncommon for consumers to wait until the last minute to sign up. Georgia has seen last-minute enrollment surges in recent years.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King says consumers should use the extra time to double-check their plan selections, even if they didn’t experience issues signing up.
“Even if you believe you have correctly signed up for coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2020, I highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to verify your selections were processed properly,” he said in a statement.
As of Dec. 7, 230,229 Georgians picked plans on Healthcare.gov. Some 460,000 people in the state enrolled in coverage last year.
Top Stories
