Open Enrollment Deadline Arrives Amid Anxiety Surrounding Future Of Health Law
Sign up numbers have been tracking slightly ahead of last year's tally in what could possibly be the last chance for customers to enroll under Obamacare.
NPR:
It's The Last Day To Sign Up For Obamacare
It's the last day to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. And at Whitman-Walker Health, a community health center near downtown Washington D.C., people have been streaming in looking for help choosing an insurance plan. Katie Nicol is a senior manager who oversees the five so-called navigators whose sole job is to help people sign up for insurance coverage. "We've been busy, you know, consumer after consumer all day," she said in an interview Monday. She expects to be busier Tuesday. (Kodjak, 1/31)
The Associated Press:
Tuesday Night Deadline For 'Obamacare' Coverage
Overnight Tuesday is the deadline to sign up for coverage under the federal health care law. Even if the ultimate fate of "Obamacare" is uncertain, there's been no change for this year. About 11.5 million people had enrolled as of Dec. 24. (1/31)
Marketplace:
Insurance Companies Scramble For Customers As Last Obamacare Sign-Up Period Ends
This year’s deadline to sign up for Obamacare is tomorrow. It may be the last time to ever sign up for this kind of coverage. Late last week, the Trump administration decided to pull ads promoting last-minute sign-ups, although it reversed that decision shortly after. But it may hurt efforts by insurance companies to get procrastinators — usually young, healthy individuals — on board. (Gorenstein, 1/30)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
As ACA Deadline Nears, Philly Insurance Consumers Have An Advantage
With a looming Tuesday deadline to sign up for insurance subsidized under the Affordable Care Act this year, consumers face all the usual fine-print complexities, plus new questions raised by the repeal-and-replace tumult in Washington. Chief among them: Will my health coverage – or the subsidy that makes it affordable — disappear? Probably not, experts say, because the law's complexity and the potential chaos of such a sudden change will likely delay legislation, even as President Trump took actions last week that could slow last-minute enrollment. (Sapatkin, 1/30)
Kansas City Star:
Obamacare Enrollment Period Ends Tuesday ... Maybe Forever?
As the fourth and possibly final Obamacare enrollment period draws to a close on Tuesday, outreach workers nationwide are pulling double duty: assisting enrollees and trying to overcome actions by the Trump administration that have made their work more difficult. Procrastinators have until Tuesday, January 31 at 11:59 p.m. to enroll in a 2017 health plan in the individual marketplace. Those who miss the deadline for personal reasons like relocation, getting married or having a baby can qualify for an extension. (Pugh, 1/30)
Health News Florida:
Obamacare Enrollment Enters Final Day
While talk of repeal and replace has dominated the recent conversation about the Affordable Care Act, consumers have quietly been signing up in record numbers. As open enrollment in the individual marketplace for Obamacare comes to a close on Tuesday, local officials say nearly 1.8 million people in Florida have signed up. That's more than the same time last year, despite premium increases, fewer insurers participating in the marketplace and general uncertainty about the future of Obamacare. (Ochoa and Aboraya, 1/30)
The CT Mirror:
With Time Running Out, Obamacare Signups Lag Amid Uncertainties
With one day left in the sign-up period for private insurance coverage, the Connecticut health insurance exchange’s enrollment has slowed down compared to past years, and the marketplace’s chief executive thinks confusion about the future of Obamacare could be a factor. (Levin Becker, 1/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Covered California Signups Continue Amid Talk Of Obamacare Repeal
Californians are continuing to sign up for health insurance through the state-run marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act, despite uncertainty over the future of the federal health care law. Some 327,000 new people, about the same number as last year, have signed up for insurance plans during open enrollment, which runs from Nov. 1 to Tuesday, according to figures from Covered California. The figure represents the number of new signups through Jan. 24. (Ho, 1/30)
California Healthline:
Headaches Persist As Covered California Enrollment Nears End
Covered California’s fourth annual open enrollment period, set to end Tuesday, has been rocky for many consumers. During this period, two Covered California errors have affected roughly 50,000 policy holders, leading to higher-than-expected premiums or the potential loss of their tax credits. (1/31)