Officials swear this is it. After today, the first open enrollment period for health coverage through D.C.'s marketplace will be over.
Done. Finished. Finito.
Those who can't sign up by April 30 will need to wait until Nov. 15. The exchange has major system upgrades to get to, the D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority officials have said.
But through today, individuals can still sign up for health care coverage if they haven't already.
The next enrollment period for health insurance through marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act is Nov. 15. The D.C. Health Benefit Exchange Authority said earlier this month it would extend the health insurance special open enrollment period a second time to April 30 from its original extension of April 15.
But it saw a surge of calls and requests for help before the second extension. The exchange had 699 people enroll for coverage in the two weeks after open enrollment was originally supposed to close, with 22 percent of those signups coming on what was the final day of the first extended deadline.
In-person assisters and brokers will be located from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. at the Dorothy I. Height/Benning Library at 3935 Benning Road N.E. today. At the library, which officials are calling a 'One-Touch Enrollment' center, residents looking to get coverage will be able to get help with the selection of their health insurance plan, identity proofing and Medicaid determinations in a single place. Help over the phone at 855-532-5465 and at DCHealthLink.com will be available throughout the day as well.
As of April 16, the total number of private health coverage enrollments in D.C. totaled 10,630. There were 19,217 Medicaid sign-ups, while small business enrollments were at 13,118. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced sign-ups under the Affordable Care Act surpassed 8 million, 1 million more than original projections.
For some, the April 30 deadline does not apply. That includes small businesses, individuals or families who lose other coverage, and people who qualify for Medicaid.
Tina Reed covers health care.
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