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Obamacare deadline arrives in major test for flagship health programme Obamacare deadline arrives in major test for flagship health programme
(about 3 hours later)
President Obama's healthcare reforms passes a significant deadline on Monday night when Americans must sign up for insurance if they want their coverage to begin on 1 January. President Obama's healthcare reforms were due to pass a significant deadline on Monday night when Americans must sign up for insurance if they want their coverage to begin on 1 January.
Despite a flurry of last-minute extensions following problems with the online enrolment exchange, this cut-off remains an important test of demand for Obama's flagship domestic reform. The Washington Post reported on Monday that the website has been programmed secretly to accept applications for up to a day later, in case there are last-minute glitches. After a flurry of last-minute extensions following problems with the online enrolment exchange, the administration announced yet another: a 24-hour grace period to take into account timezone differences and any last minute glitches.
Nervous Democrats are already bracing themselves for an electoral backlash in the 2014 midterm elections if the number of new enrollees is not sufficient to drive down overall prices charged by insurers.Nervous Democrats are already bracing themselves for an electoral backlash in the 2014 midterm elections if the number of new enrollees is not sufficient to drive down overall prices charged by insurers.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from the Republican-leaning state of West Virginia, warned that the law could still collapse “under its own weight” during an interview on Sunday and repeated his calls for a transitionary year to make sure insurance pricing is affordable.Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from the Republican-leaning state of West Virginia, warned that the law could still collapse “under its own weight” during an interview on Sunday and repeated his calls for a transitionary year to make sure insurance pricing is affordable.
“If it’s so much more expensive than what we anticipated and if the coverage is not as good as what we had, you’ve got a complete meltdown at that time,” Manchin told CNN. “This transitional year gives you a chance to adjust the product for the market.”“If it’s so much more expensive than what we anticipated and if the coverage is not as good as what we had, you’ve got a complete meltdown at that time,” Manchin told CNN. “This transitional year gives you a chance to adjust the product for the market.”
Confirming the latest extension, federal officials urged buyers not to procrastinate. "You should not wait until tomorrow. If you are aiming to get coverage January 1, you should try to sign up today," said Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the federal agency overseeing the overhaul.
Bataille said the grace period was being offered to accommodate people from different time zones and to deal with any technical problems that might result from a last-minute rush of applicants.
The White House has said it will not reveal official sign-up data for this critical phase until the middle of next month, but Obama boasted during his end-of-year press conference on Friday that half a million Americans had signed up in the first three weeks of December across state and federal exchanges.The White House has said it will not reveal official sign-up data for this critical phase until the middle of next month, but Obama boasted during his end-of-year press conference on Friday that half a million Americans had signed up in the first three weeks of December across state and federal exchanges.
“The basic structure of that law is working despite all the problems – despite the website problems, despite the messaging problems. Despite all that, it’s working,” he said. “We’ve got a couple million people who are going to have health insurance just in the first three months, despite the fact that probably the first month and a half was lost because of problems with the website and about as bad a bunch of publicity as you could imagine.”“The basic structure of that law is working despite all the problems – despite the website problems, despite the messaging problems. Despite all that, it’s working,” he said. “We’ve got a couple million people who are going to have health insurance just in the first three months, despite the fact that probably the first month and a half was lost because of problems with the website and about as bad a bunch of publicity as you could imagine.”
The president also denied that repeated tweaks to the law – such as repealing penalties on Thursday for those who had lost their insurance due to the reforms – were confusing people.The president also denied that repeated tweaks to the law – such as repealing penalties on Thursday for those who had lost their insurance due to the reforms – were confusing people.
“If there are adjustments that can be made to smooth out the transition, we should make them,” he added. “But they don’t go to the core of the law.”“If there are adjustments that can be made to smooth out the transition, we should make them,” he added. “But they don’t go to the core of the law.”
Yet insurers have expressed concern that such exemptions could make it harder to attract enough new customers into the system to make the economics work and were weakening the principle of the 'individual mandate' requiring everyone to participate in some form of insurance.Yet insurers have expressed concern that such exemptions could make it harder to attract enough new customers into the system to make the economics work and were weakening the principle of the 'individual mandate' requiring everyone to participate in some form of insurance.
Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive officer of America's Health Insurance Plans, said Thursday's action "was of particular concern because we were worried about the message with respect to individuals having a path around the mandate; that was the first time that the administration had said anything like that".Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive officer of America's Health Insurance Plans, said Thursday's action "was of particular concern because we were worried about the message with respect to individuals having a path around the mandate; that was the first time that the administration had said anything like that".
"All the issues we're talking about today were the issues we flagged three years ago," she added in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. "All the issues we're talking about today were the issues we flagged three years ago," she added in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. 
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