Christmas has come early for many health insurance shoppers this year.If you’ve read anything on PolicyGenius regarding health insurance (which, of course you have) you know we’ve really been pounding the December 15th deadline. Basically, if you wanted your health insurance to kick in on January 1st and avoid a lapse in coverage, you had to have applied by December 15th.
Well, it’s December 16th...and it’s been announced that many shoppers have gotten an extension and can continue to shop for coverage that starts January 1st. Are you one of them? Find out below.Deadline: December 15thDeadline: December 17thDeadline: December 19thDeadline: December 23rd
Deadline: December 15th
Unfortunately, residents of these states – which run their own health insurance exchanges – still had to stick with the December 15th deadline:
Colorado
Idaho
Maryland
Minnesota
Vermont
Washington, D.C.
Deadline: December 17th
Got weekend plans? Now you do. These states have extended their deadlines until Saturday, December 17th:
California
Connecticut
New York
Deadline: December 19th
Every state that’s part of Healthcare.gov has had their deadline extended through the weekend, and residents have until Monday the 19th to get covered. Those include:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Deadline: December 23rd
Residents of these three lucky states have until the 23rd – over a week after the original deadline – to get coverage for January 1st:
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Washington (state)
Even though you have until the above dates for coverage to start on January 1st and Open Enrollment doesn’t technically end until January 31st, that doesn’t mean you should put off shopping even longer. Because of incredibly high volumes of shoppers, hold times with enrollment centers will be long - so plan ahead and be patient. If you get it done ASAP, you can beat other last minute shoppers and focus on your family (and presents!) this holiday season.So start shopping today with that second chance you’ve been given. You probably won’t get another one!
