Never ending stream of bad news.
Via Weekly Standard:
When the Obama administration launched the Healthcare.gov website on October 1, the president and his officials focused on the coverage that would now be available to the uninsured as of January 1, 2014. However, with the recent flood of cancellations of those who were told they could “keep their plan,” millions more will need new insurance in place by the beginning of the new year. The well publicized “glitches” have slowed enrollment considerably, and now there is new evidence that consumers will find themselves with even less time to secure coverage than originally thought.
An editorial in last week’s USA Today repeats the common belief about the deadline: “The deadline for signing up for insurance that begins Jan. 1 is Dec. 15.” However, “signing up” for insurance is not enough. As the Healthcare.gov website states [emphasis added]:
If you enroll in a private health insurance plan any time between October 1, 2013 and December 15, 2013 and make your first premium payment, your new health coverage starts January 1, 2014.
Kathleen Sebelius echoed this requirement in a Wednesday conference call:
Payment is not due until Dec. 15 for January coverage, Sebelius said.
“By the 15th of December, we’ll be able to tell you how many people have actually paid for the first month of coverage,” she said.
However, paying the premium is not necessarily a simple matter. An online chat with a Healthcare.gov representative revealed that the site is not recommending using the exchange to make the initial premium payment. The representative was not even completely sure the option was being offered.