The deadline to sign up for Healthcare.gov coverage has been extended to Monday, Dec. 19 at 11:59 p.m. The federal government made the announcement Thursday night, citing a high volume of people who have left requests to get enrolled.
The deadline is for coverage starting Jan. 1. The final deadline is March 1 for coverage starting April 1. The Affordable Care Act allows for a two-month grace period that consumers can go without health insurance and not receive a tax penalty.
“Our goal is to provide affordable coverage to everyone seeking it before the deadline, and these two additional business days will give consumers an opportunity to come back and complete their enrollment for Jan. 1 coverage,” said Kevin Counihan, CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplace in a release.
Healthcare.gov is replacing Kynect, the state exchange set up under former Gov. Steve Beshear. Gov. Matt Bevin ran on dismantling Kynect, citing concerns about cost.
