12-15-14 health insurance exchange sign-up deadline

Monday  is the deadline to sign up through the health insurance exchange if you want to be covered at the start of the new year.   In neighboring Minnesota more than 30,000 people had signed up through the state’s health insurance exchange since open enrollment began November 15^th.  Robert Kraig with Citizen Action Wisconsin says there are no specific numbers for Wisconsin.  The deadline to get insurance for the year to satisfy the federal health law’s mandate isn’t until the middle of February.  Kraig says the good news is the infamous computer glitches during last year’s rollout of the system are no longer there.   Monday is also the deadline for current customers to make changes to their coverage and have those take effect at the start of the year.  The online marketplace is meant for people who aren’t covered by employer-offered insurance plans or government programs.  The marketplace offers subsidized private insurance for single people earning about $47,000  or less per year and families earning up to $128,000.  Current customers will be automatically renewed if they make no changes, but that may leave them facing higher premiums. That is why the Obama administration is joining consumer advocates in recommending that people reassess their options.