Obamacare Deadline For Jan. 1 Coverage Extended One Week

2013

Obamacare Deadline For Jan. 1 Coverage Extended One Week

Most employer plans that hold an annual open enrollment allow six to eight weeks between the close of the enrollment period and the effective date of new coverage. This is to allow time for processing changes and for the insurer or administrator to issue ID cards to participants and to notify providers of patients selecting them for primary care. Of course, in the group process there is one payment, not premium payments from each individual to process.

Somehow in the case of federal health insurance exchanges none of that matters so they are going to do all that in one week, the last week of the year, the week between Christmas and New Years Day. 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😝😃

By Mary Agnes Carey
NOVEMBER 22ND, 2013, 4:08 PM

Consumers will have an extra week — until Dec. 23 – to enroll in health insurance coverage that begins Jan. 1, Obama administration officials said Friday.

Millions of consumers have been frustrated by their inability to sign up for coverage through healthcare.gov … While the administration has said the site will work smoothly for most customers by Nov. 30, some advocates had been concerned that consumers still might not have enough time to sign up for coverage that would take effect Jan. 1. The previous deadline was Dec. 15.

In a call with reporters, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Communications Director Julie Bataille said the extension would apply only for consumers seeking coverage effective Jan. 1. In future months, consumers would have to enroll by the 15th of the month for coverage to begin on the 1st of the following month. Open enrollment continues until March 31.

Bataille said the date change was done “in consultation with” insurers.

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, said the deadline extension “makes it more challenging to process enrollments in time for coverage to begin on Jan. 1.” / Ultimately, it will depend on how many people enroll in those last few days.  It is also important to keep in mind that consumers need to pay their first month’s premium before their coverage can begin.”

Consumers have until Dec. 31 to pay for health insurance that begins Jan. 1, Bataille said.

via Obamacare Deadline For Jan. 1 Coverage Extended One Week – Capsules – The KHN Blog.

“More challenging” you say? What he really means is … are you out of your friggin mind! Stand by for Part II as insurance companies get blamed for not having all the enrollments right, for denying benefits because payments aren’t recorded and physician selection not processed.