The Obama administration is asking insurance companies to give Americans more time to sign up for health coverage that starts in January, the Washington Post reported.
The official deadline is midnight EST on Monday, Dec. 23. But behind the scenes, administration officials have urged insurers to start coverage on Jan. 1 even for those who sign up after Monday, the Post reported, citing “insurance industry executives.”
The push has been under for more than a week. Some companies have agreed, according to the Post, though others will not accommodate the request.
The administration had previously asked insurers to extend their deadline for accepting premium payments for January coverage from Dec. 31 to Jan. 10. The insurance industry’s top lobbying group said last week that its members would make that change.