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Obamacare Enrollment Extended To Accommodate Last-Minute Demand

The deadline to buy health insurance under Obamacare has been extended for two days after high demand clogged the federal government's exchange.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday night, just hours before the original deadline of midnight Dec. 15, that consumers would have 48 hours more to buy a health plan.

Wait times to log in to HealthCare.gov or to get help on the telephone were so long earlier this week that officials said anyone who left a message or email address would be contacted after Tuesday's deadline and would still be able to get insurance that goes into effect on Jan. 1.

By Tuesday, more than a million people had left telephone messages, so Department of Health and Human Services decided to give people more time.

Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees HealthCare.gov, said on Twitter that 185,000 people were simultaneously shopping for insurance late Monday.

People may be motivated by higher penalties that kick in next year for not having insurance.

In 2016, an individual who doesn't buy insurance will owe at least $695 when filing taxes for that year. The fines increase based on income, and can go up to $2,085 for an individual.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak is a health policy correspondent on NPR's Science Desk.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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