U.S. to allow some people to enroll in Obamacare after deadline

[PoliticAverse]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will soon issue new Obamacare guidelines allowing people to enroll in health coverage after a March 31 deadline, but only under certain circumstances, according to sources close to the administration.

The sources said the new federal guidelines for consumers in the 36 states served by the federal health insurance marketplace and its website, HealthCare.gov, would allow people to enroll after March 31 if they had tried earlier and were prevented by system problems including technical glitches.

On Friday, the administration published in the Federal Register new regulations that would allow state-run marketplaces new flexibility in setting insurance coverage effective dates for people who sign up during special enrollment periods.

President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to be enrolled in health coverage by March 31 or pay a penalty. It was not clear how much of an effort a potential applicant would have to make in order to qualify for a special enrollment period.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/u-allow-people-enroll-obamacare-deadline-000535875--sector.html

[Cha]

1. Good.. Extensions for the Glitch Experience!

[FrodosPet]

2. What about extensions for the "insurance or rent" crowd?

One of these years I will have insurance again. But for now, it is at least 9 more months of the "Dollar Store Aspirin and ER" health care plan.

[SamKnause]

3. Why ???

Why is there a deadline ???

Why can't a person enroll at anytime ???

[PoliticAverse]

4. Because In order for the system to work they have to prevent people from not having insurance

when they are healthy and only signing up when they are sick.

Having a limited open enrollment period is a way to achieve this.

[SamKnause]

6. Thanks for your reply and input.

Anyone who signs up with a pre existing condition is already sick.

Many people will not have insurance because of the states that did not expand Medicaid.

They will fall through the cracks.

They will not be able to afford insurance and they will not receive subsidies because of their states refusal to expand Medicaid.

The best and the brightest have created a bill that is useless to many, too expensive for some, and filling the pockets of the insurance companies.

All citizens of the U.S. should have access to health care at birth.

This should include dental and vision (those were left out of the ACA).

[PoliticAverse]

8. Yeah the way they handled the Medicaid issue was a big screwup. n/t

[cynzke]

10. The best and the brightest

did the best they could with what they were given. It won't get much better while the obstacles remain in place......GOP and private (for-profit) insurance companies.

[jtuck004]

5. To make sure insurance companies make profits. If it were govt run you would be signed

up at birth and we could dispense with the cost and overhead of this sign-up bs. Probably cheaper too, and I have no doubt the results would be just as good if not better.

It would work fine that way too.

[SamKnause]

7. Agree.

[yeoman6987]

11. They cannot have open enrollment throughout the year

Besides having a person sign up right before going to the doctor and then dropping it the next day which some would do for sure. The biggest problem is that the Insurance Companies have to write new insurance guidelines for the 2015 year which I guess takes time. They have to upload all of this into the computer so that people can do the process all over again beginning in January 2015. Some policies will go up and others will go down. This is from the insurance company when they were asked earlier in the year or maybe President Obama mentioned this during a speech….I can't remember where I heard this from.

[JCMach1]

9. How about just a deadline for the penalty and maintain enrollment

the entire year?

Of course, the insurance companies would hate that...