Posted: 04/14/2014 01:24:26 PM PDT
Updated: 04/14/2014 01:30:19 PM PDT
That ticking sound you're hearing isn't just the clock counting down to midnight Tuesday's deadline to file your taxes.
Californians who started but were unable to finish their applications for a health care plan by the original March 31 open enrollment deadline have until midnight Tuesday to complete the process.
'People have had since October to enroll; these are the final hours,' said Larry Hicks, a spokesman for Covered California, the state's health care exchange.
'If they don't sign up by Tuesday, they likely won't have insurance for the rest of the year.'
Hicks said the exchange has witnessed a 'robust' number of enrollees since March 31, and expects to add substantially to the 1.2 million the exchange had on that date.
By then, an additional 2 million people also had signed up for Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the very poor.
But the deluge of last-minute sign-ups that day slowed the exchange website to a crawl, and by late afternoon, the system halted altogether.
Exchange officials allowed anyone who either had started an application or couldn't get on the website a grace period through April 15. Anyone who is eligible for Medi-Cal can continue to enroll at any time, but others cannot.
Those who started an application can complete it online, but those who couldn't even get online must apply with the assistance of a certified insurance agent, certified enrollment counselor, county eligibility worker or call center operator.
Since March 31, Janine Anderson, an Oakland-based certified insurance agent with American Health Advocates in Alameda, said she's gotten an average of four to five calls a day for help.
Many of these individuals had already begun an application by March 31 but weren't able to finish, she said. But Anderson and other agents say it's been hard to locate those applications online, so she's had to start from scratch all over again for her clients.
'They definitely seem a little more stressed,' said Anderson of those she is meeting. 'I think they realize that this deadline is hard and fast and they will not get an extension.'
At the Fremont Library on Saturday afternoon, dozens of last-minute applicants kept certified enrollment counselors like David Trilling busy for hours.
'I spent quite a bit of time with them,' Trilling said of those he helped, from single people to couples. 'They were very patient -- you got the feeling that they had allocated this time, they weren't in a rush. They knew they needed to do this.'
By Monday, interior designer Melissa Lawton and her real estate broker husband, who had started their application in mid-March, crossed the finish line with Anderson's help.
Without her guidance, the 63-year-old Lawton said, that might not have happened.
'My husband and I both have college degrees, but the application was difficult -- there are so many ambiguous questions,' the Hercules resident said, pointing to one that asks if the applicant considers his or her current insurance affordable.
'But what is affordable?' Lawton wondered. Because her 60-year-old husband suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, they pay a $1,500 monthly premium.
'All the time we were doing this, we were saying to ourselves: 'How is someone who is uneducated or doesn't have access to a computer going to get through this?'' she said.
Weeks ago, the couple had studied the insurance plans on the website and tried to apply online. But, she said, the website would not let them proceed past a certain point, constantly sending an 'error'' or 'unable to proceed'' message.
Exasperated, Lawton finally found Anderson through the San Pablo Library, where Anderson and other agents or certified enrollment counselors have been helping residents enroll.
'She understood exactly what we were going through and knew how to answer our questions,' Lawton said. Anderson directed them to a subsidized plan that will cost $304 a month.
'I don't know what we would have done without her,' said a relieved Lawton. 'She was a life saver.'
Under the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, anyone who doesn't sign up by midnight Tuesday can expect to pay a penalty of $95 or 1 percent of their household income, whichever is greater, by next year's tax deadline.
Only those who experience a so-called 'qualifying life event' can enroll or amend their health insurance coverage after midnight Tuesday. Examples of such qualifying life events are moving to a new state, loss of a job, and changes in family size such as those caused by marriage, divorce or a birth.
Last-minute applicants can go to the coveredca.com website, click on 'Find Help Near You,' insert their ZIP code and find specialists nearby to call for help.
Individuals can also contact a coveredca.com call center for help at (800) 300-1506.
On Monday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Anderson and Trilling will be on hand to enroll people in health care plans at the Richmond City Hall, at 450 Civic Center Plaza, in Richmond.
Contact Tracy Seipel at 408-920-5343. Follow her at Twitter.com/taseipel.
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