Health insurance enrollment period extended

The deadline was originally set for December 15, but was extended due to “unprecedented demand” at the healthcare.gov call center, which can be reached at 1-800-318-2596. Great Falls is in the competition.

Valerie Jarrett is a senior advisor to President Obama.

If you enroll in a health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov or the Marketplace Call Center by 11:59 p.m. December 17th Pacific Standard Time, your coverage will start January 1, 2016.

At least 4.1 million people have selected a 2016 health plan on HealthCare.gov, according to an Obamacare update released Wednesday that says more than 1 million people signed up in the last week alone.

The law allows Americans who don’t get health benefits at work to shop among plans on state-based marketplaces operated by the federal government or by the states themselves, including California, Connecticut and Maryland.

Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals who can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it, must pay a fine called the individual shared responsibility payment.

Those who tried to enroll Tuesday, which was the original deadline, but didn’t finish now have time to complete that registration, he said. The Essential Plan targets lower income individuals and families, offering them premiums of $20 or less per month, depending on income. Additional information on the Essential Plan can be found at info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/sites/default/files/Essential%20Plan%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf.

Some people are being asked to wait before they try to create an account or log in to an existing account to avoid overloading the system, Lodes said.

In 2016, the tax penalty is $695 dollars per adult and half that per child which is more than double what it was this year for not having health insurance.