That ticking sound you’re hearing isn’t just the clock counting down to 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 members the exchange reported on that date.
By then, about 2 million people also had enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for the poor.
But the deluge of last-minute sign-ups that day slowed the exchange website to a crawl and by late afternoon, the system crashed.
Exchange officials then allowed anyone who either had started an application or couldn’t get on the website a grace period through April 15. On Monday, Hicks said, the exchange sent emails to 296,000 households that had started an application but hadn’t finished, reminding then to do so.
Medi-Cal enrollment continues year-round.
Anyone who began an application for a private insurance plan on the exchange can complete it online, but those who couldn’t get through 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, a certified insurance agent with American Health Advocates in Alameda, said she’s received an average of four to five calls a day for help.
Most had already begun an application by March 31 and weren’t able to finish, she said. But Anderson and other insurance agents say it’s been hard to locate those applications online, so she’s had to start from scratch for her clients.
“They definitely seem a little more stressed,” said Anderson. “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, Melissa Lawton and her husband — who had started their application in mid-March — had crossed the finish line with Anderson’s help.
“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.
Weeks ago, the couple tried to apply online. But, she said, the website would not let them proceed beyond a certain point, constantly sending an “error” or “unable to proceed” message.
Exasperated, Lawton found Anderson through the San Pablo Library, where agents and certified enrollment counselors have been helping applicants.
“She understood exactly what we were going through and knew how to answer our questions,” Lawton said. Anderson directed the couple to a subsidized plan that will cost $304 a month.
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.
Only those who experience a “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 still go to the coveredca.com website, click on “Find Help Near You,” insert their ZIP code and locate specialists nearby to call for help.
Individuals can also contact a coveredca.com call center for help at (800) 300-1506.
Contact Tracy Seipel at 408-920-5343. Follow her at Twitter.com/taseipel.
