A group of Democratic senators is calling on the Obama administration to offer the public another chance to sign up for ObamaCare, in an effort to help people avoid paying penalties for lacking insurance.
{mosads}The 11 lawmakers, led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), wrote to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell to encourage the creation of a special enrollment period around tax season.
They argue that many Americans won’t realize they will have to pay a penalty under the law for not having insurance until they get around to filing their taxes. If there is no extra enrollment period, they will be unable to sign up at that point, because the enrollment deadline already passed, on Sunday.
“Such a special enrollment period would increase coverage in affordable private health insurance and reduce the costs that the uninsured pass along to the insured,” the senators wrote. “We are confident that this special enrollment period would build on the success of the law by allowing even more uninsured Americans to benefit from the health and financial security provided by the Affordable Care Act.”
A Harris poll in September found that 46 percent of uninsured people were unaware of the mandate to buy insurance.
The letter was also signed by Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
HHS has already extended the deadline for some people. On Monday it announced that people who tried to sign up this weekend but could not because of long wait times or technical glitches will have until this Sunday to sign up.
Sign-ups have been much smoother than last year, though. Even before the final weekend, around 10 million people had signed up, surpassing the administration’s goal of 9.1 million.
The penalty for not having insurance has provided an opening for Republicans, who argue it makes taxes even more complicated. Last month, the House Ways and Means Committee pointed to the new tax forms people will need to fill out, arguing they add unneeded complexity.
“Many families are in for a rude awakening,” spokesman Brendan Buck said. “All the more reason to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centered reforms.”