Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal And State Officials Make Final Push For Enrollment Before Sunday Deadline
Americans eligible for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are facing an important deadline. This year's sign-up period ends Sunday, Feb. 15. For most people, it will be the last chance to select an ACA marketplace health plan or switch plans for 2015. That's why health advocates are urging uninsured Americans to take advantage of this final window of opportunity. (Pallarito, 2/12)
The emails are landing several times a day now. "Three days left: Time is running out," the latest one reads. They're arriving in the e-mail inboxes of people who registered in 2013 on the then-doomed Healthcare.gov website. (Fox, 2/12)
Obamacare enrollment will likely finish on a high note this weekend. The second sign-up season has marched so smoothly toward enrollment goals — so unlike the bumpy drama of the first season— that Americans have scarcely noticed. (Pradhan, 2/12)
People who want to avoid the tax for lacking health insurance this year are running out of time. The state’s MNsure exchange says more people are calling with questions about coverage, and visiting the MNsure website, in advance of Sunday’s deadline for buying private policies for 2015. (Snowbeck, 2/12)
California gave many consumers until Feb. 20 to enroll in Obamacare coverage in anticipation of long lines this weekend. The formal deadline for open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act remains Sunday. But, like last year, the Covered California exchange has granted extra time for anyone who tries to enroll but is unable to complete the process by Sunday. Beyond Sunday, applicants can no longer sign up online on their own. Officials said after the weekend they must go through Covered California's call center, an enrollment counselor, insurance agent, county office or health plan enroller. (Terhune, 2/12)
Sunday’s deadline for signing up for health insurance on the exchanges will have long passed by the time many people file their taxes this March and April. But that may be the first time it sinks in for some people that they owe a penalty for not having insurance last year. Consumer advocates want the government to give them a chance to sign up for 2015 coverage after the enrollment deadline. But federal officials say they’re not making any promises. (Andrews, 2/13)
