Living under a rock? Don't have TV? What other excuse could a U.S. adult have for not knowing that today is the last day folks can sign up for health coverage via a public exchange if they want coverage to begin Jan. 1?
The government's promotional efforts around Dec. 15 might be mistaken for a campaign to make the day a new national holiday. But after last year's disastrous experiences with the official federal health insurance website, HealthCare.gov, the Obama administration is taking no chances.
Midnight tonight is the deadline for new insurance customers to select a plan, and for those with an existing plan to make modifications to their coverage package.
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The federal site seems to be working fine this year as today's midnight deadline approaches, report the news source The Hill, so the administration is sparing no effort to trumpet the deadline.
"Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell touted the site during visits to Arizona and Texas over the weekend, a follow-up to President Obama's effort to pitch ObamaCare on ESPN and 'The Colbert Report,'" said The Hill.
"HHS is blanketing TV networks and streaming music sites with ads for coverage, including a campaign aired on Fox, NBC and ESPN during NFL games."
According to federal data, 974,000 Americans applied for coverage between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5, with 619,000 selecting insurance plans for themselves and/or their families.
"That is more than the number who picked plans in the first three months of last year's sign-up period," said The Hill.
Meanwhile, states with their own exchanges were reporting increased business. New York state said it would extend the enrollment deadline from Dec. 15 to Dec. 20 to accommodate late-comers or those who couldn't sign up due to winter snowstorms that wracked the state in late November.
The federal goal for individuals and families to obtain exchange-based coverage is 9.1 million in 2015, up from 6.7 million this year. Even if all those covered this year retain coverage, HHS needs another 2 million-plus to meet the goal. Today's activity will offer a strong signal as to whether that goal will be reached.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
