The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just announced that it will extend enrollment in the Federal Marketplace through mid-April for people who have had difficulty signing up on the Healthcare.gov site. While no formal rule has been promulgated, according to the Washington Post, "people will be able to qualify for an extension by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov to indicate that they tried to enroll before the deadline. This method will rely on an honor system; the government will not try to determine whether the person is telling the truth."
At least five states with State-based marketplaces - California, District of Columbia, Maryland, Minnesota, and Oregon - have also formally extended the enrollment deadline for those who have encountered difficulties in the enrollment process.
Concurrently, the Obama Administration announced a temporary extension of the federal Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), because of concerns that an insufficient number of enrollees will have enrolled in replacement coverage by the March 31 deadline. With a new PCIP end date of April 30, enrollees can purchase an extra month of coverage while choosing a plan from Healthcare.gov.
While there is much speculation regarding what the final enrollment numbers will be after the enrollment periods - with extensions - have officially ended, there is a wealth of information beyond pure enrollment numbers that can guide additional improvements and revisions made to the existing marketplaces.
For additional information and the latest enrollment numbers from the states and federal government, check out SHADAC’s Marketplace Enrollment Reports.
Stay tuned to St@teside as we track the latest ACA developments.
