This actually was extended last week but it didn’t receive a lot of attention. HHS put the arm on the insurers.
Via United Liberty:
Health insurers participating in the state and federal Obamacare exchanges have relented to a request by the Department and Health and Human Services (HHS) to extend the deadline for enrollees to make their first premium payment.
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) made the announcement on Wednesday that insurers would extend the deadline for payment for coverage set to begin at the beginning of the year to January 10.
“Our community is taking an important step to give consumers greater peace of mind about their health care coverage,” said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP. The press release through which AHIP made the announcement went to great lengths to state that the decision was made “voluntarily,” using the word four separate times.
But insurers were ostensibly threatened if they didn’t “voluntarily” extend the payment, according to USA Today, which noted that “HHS said it will consider insurers’ cooperation now when it decides which ones can participate on the insurance exchanges next year.”