African American Health Alliance: No Penalty If You Finish Signing Up for Coverage by April 15th

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --    

If you started your application for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) but didn't finish before the March 31^st deadline, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will give you until April 15, 2014, to complete your application.

According to HHS, you can still sign up if you tried to enroll but did not make the deadline because:

• You couldn't start or continue your application because you couldn't get through to HealthCare.gov or the Marketplace Call Center;
• You encountered  maintenance periods that kept you from using the Healthcare.gov site;
• You were blocked by Healthcare.gov error screens or similar technical issues;
• You were unable to get an appointment with a Navigator or other application assister before the March 31 deadline--or you were working with an assister but didn't finish enrolling in time; or
• You sent in an application by mail and didn't get an eligibility result before the deadline.

If you fall in one of those categories, HHS is offering you two ways to complete your application:

1. Go to Healthcare.gov and log in to your online Marketplace application. You can simply pick up where you left off to complete the enrollment process. In order to finish enrolling, you'll have to confirm a statement that you tried to enroll before March 31 but were unable to complete your application.
2. Contact the Marketplace Call Center. Be sure to tell the customer service representative that you tried to enroll before March 31. They can help you finish enrolling by phone. Call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). The lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you enroll by April 15, your coverage will begin May 1, and you won't need to pay the individual responsibility payment (commonly referred to as "the penalty") for the months of 2014 that you didn't have health coverage.

Fredette West, Director of the African American Health Alliance, remarked, "If you are confused or get stuck, call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 for help. Just don't let time run out on you. Your health is the most valuable thing you own–and, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, you can protect it."

West added, "The ACA provides access to much-needed, high quality, affordable healthcare coverage. Given the volume of pressure on the system since open enrollment began, we commend the wisdom of the Obama Administration in giving those who need extra time a chance to finish signing up." West added, "If you are seeking coverage this year, remember to act quickly as April 15^th is approaching quickly."

To finish applying for coverage, go to Healthcare.gov or call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. Enrollment assistance is available 24 hours a day in 150 languages.

For information on the African American Health Alliance, visit www.africanamericanhealthalliance.org; email: healthalliance@comcast; or phone: 301-576-0845

Contact: Fredette West
[email protected] 
202-215-3100

SOURCE African American Health Alliance