Federal regulators have extended the enrollment deadline for health insurance covereage starting January 1, 2017 under Affordable Care Act by for four days and now consumers can buy coverage until 11.59 p.m. Pacific Statndard Time on December 19.
“Because of extraordinary demand at HealthCare.gov and our Marketplace Call Center, we’re extending the deadline to sign up for January 1 coverage until 11:59 p.m. PST on December 19,” an announcement on Healthcare.gov said.
According to a statement, hundreds of thousands have already selected plans over the last few days, and nearly a million left contact information to hold their place in line under the plan, also known as Obamacare.
“We want to make sure all of you have access to affordable coverage. These additional days will give you a chance to come back and complete your enrollment for coverage starting January 1.”
Consumers have been advised to enroll in a health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov or the Marketplace Call Center by 11:59 p.m. December 19th Pacific Standard Time in order for their coverage to start January 1, 2017.
At a Press conference on Friday, President Barack Obama cited the success of the plan.
“When I came into office, 44 million people were uninsured. Today, we’ve covered more than 20 million of them. For the first time in our history, more than 90 percent of Americans are insured. In fact, yesterday was the biggest day ever for HealthCare.gov. More than 670,000 Americans signed up to get covered, and more are signing up by the day,” the president said.
Meanwhile, consumers are also contacting certified agents to enroll under the plan for healthcare coverage starting January 1, 2017.