The federal government shut down several avenues that people could take to sign up for Obamacare year-round, including if they were hurt by an error in determining their advance tax credits.
The Obama administration detailed six types of special enrollment periods that no longer will be available for people who are seeking Obamacare coverage. Now enrollees will have to get coverage by the end of open enrollment, which is Jan. 31.
The administration said periods that are no longer available for consumers include:
- Enrolled with too much in advance payments of the premium tax credit because of a redundant or duplicate policy;
- Affected by an error in the treatment of Social Security income for tax dependents;
- Eligible for or enrolled in COBRA but weren’t fully informed about their coverage options;
- Previously in a pre-existing condition health insurance program.
Special enrollment programs for people who are here lawfully but not citizens were also cut, such as those affected by a system error in determining their advance payments of tax credits. Another period is for non-citizens with income below 100 percent of the federal poverty level who have experienced “certain processing delays,” according to a notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“We’ll continue to monitor how special enrollment periods are used and may make changes in the future,” the agency said.
The agency didn’t make any changes to the most used periods, which include periods for those who lost their job or got a divorce or married.
CMS already said that it wouldn’t hold a special enrollment period for people affected by the individual mandate penalty, which it did last year.
It also is working to clarify the eligibility for existing special enrollment periods.
For instance, it clarified that a special enrollment period for moving doesn’t apply to a consumer who does a short-term or temporary move. That includes situations in which a consumer is admitted to a hospital for treatment in a different area, the agency said.
The elimination of the special enrollment periods puts more importance on getting coverage during open enrollment, which runs until Jan. 31.
If it were easy for someone to sign up for Obamacare outside of that period, they could sign up when they get sick and then drop out. That helps to drive up premiums, agency officials have said.
