Dayton Business Journal
Another day, another round of Obamacare extensions
by Kent Hoover
Washington Bureau Chief

Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

The Obama administration announced another round of extensions for health care reform Thursday afternoon in order to help consumers "seamlessly transition" from their old insurance policies to Obamacare's new plans.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim final rule that formalizes Dec. 23 as the new deadline for individuals to enroll through HealthCare.gov for coverage that begins Jan. 1. HealthCare.gov is the federal exchange available for residents of 36 states that aren't operating their own exchanges.

The agency also is requiring insurance companies to accept payments for this coverage until at least Dec. 31. Plus it is encouraging insurers to allow consumers who pay only a portion of their premiums by that date to begin coverage on Jan. 1.

“We are providing additional flexibility to consumers across the country to ensure they have access to coverage options that begin on Jan. 1, ” said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services.

In addition, the Obama administration is extending the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Program for another month. These state-based high-risk pools were scheduled to expire Dec. 31, but will be extended through the end of January to give the 86,000 people covered by this program more time to get new plans through insurance exchanges.

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