The head of Health and Human Services (HHS) is turning up the heat on people who have not yet signed up for ObamaCare with just one month before the deadline.
{mosads}“Time is running out,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said in a release Wednesday.
Burwell’s plea for people to buy coverage comes hours after a State of the Union address that made no mention of the February 15 deadline — a stark difference from last year when President Obama made a pitch for healthcare himself.
This year’s enrollment period, which began in November, is shorter than last year’s, though it is already expected to exceed the administration’s target of 9.1 million by February.
HHS announced Wednesday that the number of ObamaCare signups has crossed 7 million, surpassing what had been a key milestone for the administration the previous year.
About 400,000 people picked plans in the last week.
Individuals and families who do not sign up for healthcare in the next month will face steeper fines than those who lacked coverage last year. Individuals will pay 2 percent of their income or $325 per person, whichever is more.