An Obamacare logo on the door of the UniVista Insurance agency in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 10, 2017. (Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid said it has extended the deadline for enrollment in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace until midnight local time on Dec. 18, the agency said.
In most states, the original deadline to enroll in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- also known as "Obamacare" -- coverage was Dec. 15. These plans go into effect on Jan. 1, and missing the deadline could result in starting the new year without health insurance.
"If you wait until the last minute to enroll, you won't have coverage in place when the new year begins. Instead, you'll be waiting until February 1 for your coverage to begin," said Louise Norris, health policy analyst for healthinsurance.org, in a statement.
In most states, open enrollment for 2025 individual and family health coverage began on Nov. 1, and continues until at least Jan. 15, 2025, with the exception of Idaho, which closes its open enrollment period in December.
At least 19 states have insurance providers leaving markets in 2025, and that could mean your state is no longer included for your carrier.
"If your insurer is exiting your state's Marketplace, the Marketplace will likely automatically select a replacement plan for you if you don't choose your own replacement coverage," Norris said. She encouraged people to "take an active role" in choosing insurance coverage and finding a plan that best suits individual needs.
"Even if you're 100 percent happy with the plan you have now, you owe it to yourself to spend at least a little time checking out the available options," Norris said. "The premium that your insurer charges is likely changing for 2025. And your subsidy amount might also be changing."
People who are currently uninsured or are enrolled in a plan that isn't regulated by the ACA can verify whether they are eligible for subsidies, even if they previously weren't, by filling out a Marketplace application.
Legislation from the Biden-Harris administration, specifically the COVID-related 2021 American Rescue Plan and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, has extended eligibility for premium tax credits to millions of Americans.
Last year, the policies spurred a record-setting 21.4 million people to sign up for coverage. Last month, 496,000 Americans who are not currently on the individual-market Marketplace have already signed up for 2025 coverage, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
"Four out of five people can find a quality health plan for $10 or less a month after financial assistance on HealthCare.gov," Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "That's the best deal in town."
The subsidy enhancements will end in December 2025, so this might be a good opportunity for Americans to see what their options are.
If you're unsure of where to start, Stride's "Procrastinator's Guide to Buying Last-Minute Health Insurance" offers tools to help customers check whether they are eligible for subsidies here, or go directly to the Obamacare Subsidy Calculator.