State Enrollment Extension Status

Here's the full roundup of the "extended enrollment period" status of all 50 states + DC (I still don't know the status of Hawaii or Rhode Island):

ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, DELAWARE, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMINGExtended until 4/15 if started by 3/31

The Obama administration has decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline.

Federal officials confirmed Tuesday evening that all consumers who have begun to apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, but who do not finish by Monday, will have until about mid-April to ask for an extension.

Under the new rules, people will be able to qualify for an extension by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov to indicate that they tried to enroll before the deadline. This method will rely on an honor system; the government will not try to determine whether the person is telling the truth.

The rules, which will apply to the federal exchanges operating in three dozen states, will essentially create a large loophole even as White House officials have repeatedly said that the March 31 deadline was firm. The extra time will not technically alter the deadline but will create a broad new category of people eligible for what’s known as a special enrollment period.

CALIFORNIA: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31

Covered California also clarified the process for completing applications for health coverage in 2014.

“Covered California is not extending its deadline for applying for a health plan,” Lee said. “However, we’re committed to helping all those who started an online application to cross the finish line.”

Individuals who start an online application by 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2014, will have until 11:59 p.m. on April 15, 2014, to complete their application and select a plan. To start an application, the consumer must take at least the following steps...

COLORADO: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31

DENVER - Colorado will give health insurance applicants extra time to finish the enrollment process, if they start before the March 31 deadline.

Connect for Health Colorado will make an official announcement about the extension Wednesday afternoon.

The extension end date is listed in another article:

Should shoppers encounter problems with the state's Medicaid website before Monday's deadline - a mandatory stop for people seeking federal insurance subsidies - they will be given extra time to complete it, said Rachel Reiter, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

...In addition, anyone who creates an account on the state's exchange will be given until April 15 to finish their enrollment, said Ben Davis, an exchange spokesman.

For example: A person who created an account in October will be given until April 15 to purchase a plan, he said.

CONNECTICUT: NO EXTENSION FOR YOU!!

There will be no extension for CT residents applying for health care coverage, you must complete your app by midnight on 3/31 #GetCoveredNow

— Access Health CT (@AccessHealthCT) March 26, 2014

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31:

The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority announced today that it will continue DC Health Link enrollment past the March 31st deadline for individual and family coverage.  Residents who need in-person or telephone help will now have through April 15th to enroll.  People with an on-line account with DC Health Link who have not yet selected a health plan also will have through April 15th to enroll in a private health plan.  

...When enrolling through DCHealthLink.com after March 31st, consumers will be asked to attest that they sought either in-person help or telephone help or that they started the process of enrollment but could not finish.

HAWAII: NO EXTENSION FOR YOU!!

KENTUCKY: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31

Kentucky, which will allow residents to apply for coverage by March 31 but select plans until April 15

MARYLAND: Extended until ??? if started by 3/31 (no specific end date noted)

State health officials have crafted a plan to ensure Marylanders who attempt to enroll in health insurance through Maryland Health Connection before the March 31 deadline will receive coverage.

The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Board adopted the plan Tuesday to create a new hotline allowing residents to notify Maryland Health Connection that they started an application but have not been able to complete it, according to a Maryland Health Benefit Exchange news release. The troubled website has come under fire for its glitches that began when the website went live Oct. 1.

MASSACHUSETTS: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31

BOSTON -- Massachusetts residents who have had difficulty signing up through the Health Connector for unsubsidized health insurance coverage will be given an extra two weeks to enroll under an extension plan to be presented Thursday, two days after President Barack Obama announced a similar reprieve for frustrated consumers on the national level.

...Residents who have had trouble completing enrollment to due technical problems with the website will be allowed to shop online for unsubsidized plans through April 15, with payment due April 23 for coverage starting on May 1.

Note that it says that they have to pay by April 23rd for May-start policy coverage. Massachusetts doesn't even report unpaid enrollments to HHS anyway, so this does not alter my "payments aren't due yet anyway" point.

MINNESOTA: Extended until ??? if started by 3/31 (no specific end date noted)

ST.PAUL, Minn. – Today, MNsure announced new procedures that will help people get coverage and avoid a federal tax penalty even if their enrollment isn’t complete when the deadline expires on March 31.

“It’s just like waiting in line to vote after the polls close; if a consumer can show that they have attempted to obtain coverage before the deadline, we will make sure they can complete their enrollment,” said interim CEO Scott Leitz.

...Minnesotans have until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 31 to enroll or get “in line” for coverage. Being “in line” can include, but is not limited to...

NEVADA: Extended until  5/30 if started by 3/31

CARSON CITY — Anyone who attempted to sign up for health insurance with Nevada's failed insurance exchange will have another 60 days to complete the process.

The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange Board action on Thursday leaves the door open for tens if not hundreds of thousands of people to reapply after open enrollment ends March 31.

Officials say up to 300,000 people may have tried over the past six months to choose a plan over Nevada Health Link but were thwarted by program errors in the system designed by Xerox.

NEW YORK: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31

ALBANY — The New York health exchange has eased a Monday enrollment deadline for insurance coverage  in 2014, the state Department of Health announced Friday.

Monday is the deadline for individuals to apply for a private insurance plan through the state-run marketplace in order to receive coverage that begins in 2014. Now, the deadline will be extended to April 15, but only for those who start the application process by Monday.

So if you apply by Monday, you would have until April 15 to enroll a specific health plan through the exchange.

OREGON: FULL EXTENSION UNTIL 4/30 (no "started before 3/31" requirement)

(here's the official details from the CoverOregon site)

Oregonians have another 30 days to get health insurance through the Cover Oregon health exchange.

The so-called open-enrollment period was slated to end March 31. But the federal government granted Oregonians another 30 days' grace, the state announced Wednesday.

This will give people who have not yet applied through Cover Oregon more time to sign up, access financial assistance and get covered. Gov. John Kitzhaber also announced the extension means Oregon small business owners will have access to more affordable health insurance for their employees in the form of tax credits.

So this is basically an 7th full month added on for Oregon. In addition, there's this...

Additionally, those who apply for coverage from a private plan through Cover Oregon by April 30 and enroll after the deadline won't be subject to a potential federal penalty.

RHODE ISLAND: NO EXTENSION FOR YOU!! (I think...last part is confusing)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The deadline for individuals and families to pick new health insurance plans through HealthSource RI, the state’s Obamacare health insurance exchange, is still Monday, March 31, despite an extension announced earlier this week by federal authorities.

“We decided not to extend after evaluating potential impacts on our system and after discussions with our internal and external partners,” HealthSource RI spokeswoman Dara Chadwick said Friday afternoon.

...Chadwick said the state will still use federal guidelines to create special provisions for those unable to enroll by March 31 due to “system issues” that prevent them from completing an application, which is typically done online.

VERMONT: Extended until 4/15 if started by 3/31 (I think...wording is a little vague)

Vermont officials announced on Wednesday that the state will offer special enrollment options in Vermont Health Connect to anyone who has had trouble signing up for health insurance on the state-run website.

If an individual has made an effort to sign up for health insurance through Vermont Health Connect before the March 31 deadline for open enrollment, the state will work with them to make sure they get that coverage, regardless of whether they complete the process before the deadline.

...Eligibility for the special enrollment period will be determined by “self-attestation,” or the honor system. Larson said that the special enrollment period for people who’ve had difficulty signing up would last as long as the feds allow, and Vermont’s goal is to sign up as many people as possible.

WASHINGTON STATE: NO EXTENSION FOR YOU!!

...we are not extending the March 31 deadline for Washington State residents seeking coverage through our state-based insurance marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder.

Customers must complete the entire application process and submit payment by 11:59 pm on March 31 to qualify for coverage beginning May 1. Otherwise, customers may enroll during the next open enrollment period of Nov. 15, 2014 to Feb. 15, 2015 for coverage that takes effect in 2015.

Consideration may be provided on a case-by-case basis for individuals who were technologically unable to complete and pay for their coverage prior to March 31 at 11:59 pm due to an error with the Washington Healthplanfinder system. The Exchange will contact customers who are not able to complete their applications with information about receiving coverage after the deadline, but affected customers may also call 1-855-923-4633 or email customersupport@wahbexchange.org  to report their situation. This does not include customers who submit incomplete or incorrect information, or did not take steps to finish their current application in the system.

Update: OK, it turns out WA is willing to cut a little slack in special cases after all:

Given the overwhelming interest and volume we have seen both online and at the toll-free Customer Support Center today, we will work with those who were unable to complete and pay for their coverage prior to the deadline, were unable to reach the toll-free Customer Support Center or experienced other technological barriers to completing enrollment. While the Exchange will contact affected customers directly who experienced system errors, customers should call 1-855-923-4633 or emailcustomersupport@wahbexchange.org to report their situation.

Yes, it says that they have to pay by March 31st for May-start policy coverage...but Washington State only reports paid enrollments to HHS anyway, so this does not alter my "payments aren't due yet anyway" point.

 

 

Advertisement