Want health insurance by January 1? Well the deadline is here. You'll need to pick your Obamacare plan by the end of the day Monday (Dec. 23) and pay for it by Jan. 10.
There's been a lot of confusion surrounding the deadlines for applying for Obamacare -- and with good reason. Federal and state governments, as well as insurers, keep changing the dates, mainly to accommodate those blocked from completing enrollment due to technical problems.
More than a million people have signed up for private insurance in the federal and state exchanges, President Obama said Friday. And exchanges are reporting heavy interest in the days leading up to Monday.
Each consumer faces two deadlines: One by which to choose a plan and another for making a payment.
Most Americans will be required to have some kind of health insurance in 2014 or they will face a fine.
As of now, if you live in one of the 36 states serviced by the federal enrollment website, healthcare.gov, your best bet for getting hassle-free coverage in 2014 is to select a policy by end of the day on Monday and pay your first month's premium by January 10 to ensure coverage for the New Year.
But procrastinatiors and those running into technical roadblocks might get a short reprieve.
Federal officials said recently that individuals who try to sign up, but encounter a problem with the website, can qualify for a special enrollment period and gain coverage as soon as possible. The government is also "encouraging" insurers to allow people who miss Monday's deadline to still be eligible for coverage starting January 1, even if they sign up sometime in January.
The deadline to sign up for Obamacare, without hitting any sort of fee, is March 31st.