sign-up deadline extended for some
With less than a week left for people to sign up for health insurance, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it would allow more time to people who had tried to apply but were blocked by technical problems with the federal exchange.
Several states running their own exchanges, including Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have taken similar steps.
Open enrollment was scheduled to end on Monday for all Americans. The White House had previously insisted that the deadline was firm and would not be extended.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called it another delay for a "failed health care law."
Under the move planned by the administration, some people will be given a special enrollment period, beyond the March 31 deadline, if they indicate they tried but were unable to enroll.
Federal officials earlier allowed a special enrollment period for some people who were unable to meet the Dec. 24, 2013, enrollment deadline for coverage starting Jan. 1 of this year.
Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs the federal exchange, said Tuesday that the extension could be particularly helpful to people with special circumstances. "Open enrollment ends March 31," Albright said. But he added, "We are experiencing a surge in demand and are making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment."
Asked last week if there would be any kind of grace period for people who had trouble with the website, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said, "We're going to want to make sure that people who are already in line can finish their enrollment."
New York Times
