PPACA extended enrollment enrollees nearly double

By Kathryn Mayer

April 21, 2015 at 11:36 AM

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More than 68,000 people have signed up for health care coverage during PPACA's extra enrollment period so far this year, federal officials said Monday.

That's almost double the number of people who had signed up at the beginning of April.

Though PPACA's enrollment was set to end Feb. 15, the administration gave consumers extra time to get coverage for those who: learned about the fee for the first time while paying their taxes, did not have a health plan purchased through the federal exchange, or owed the federal government a penalty for not having coverage in 2014.

The extended enrollment period runs from March 15 to April 30. About 36,000 people had signed up during the first two weeks of the enrollment period.

"We understand the requirement to have insurance is new, which is why we're providing this last chance for those who are uninsured, are paying a fee, and were not aware of or did not understand the implications of the fee with an opportunity to enroll in affordable coverage for the rest of the year," HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan said in a statement. "We hope uninsured tax filers take the next few days to learn about the options and financial assistance that is available and to enroll in a plan that meets their needs — rather than taking the risk of choosing to get by without insurance for another year."

The administration has been sending out reminders to consumers as the close of the special enrollment period comes to a close next week.

The 2014 fee for not having health insurance amounts to $95 a person or 1 percent of household income. The fee increases in 2015 to $325 per person or 2 percent of your household income – whichever is greater.

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