Gov. David Ige has negotiated an agreement with the federal government to extend the Obamacare enrollment period for Hawaii residents under the Compact of Free Association.

The special sign-up period is for eligible residents who are from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau enrolling through the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. The new deadline for those residents to enroll and get coverage at the start of the year is Feb. 15.

Hawaii Medical Service Association and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, the state’s largest health insurers, have agreed to make policies for Compact residents retroactive to Jan. 1 to avoid any lapse in coverage, Ige announced Thursday. The previous deadline for Jan. 1 coverage for all other residents was Dec. 17, though open enrollment continues through Jan. 31.

The state, which took over Obamacare enrollments from the defunct Hawaii Health Connector, has been struggling to re-enroll residents, particularly those who don’t speak English. Residents were taking more than an hour on average — and as long as four hours for non-English speakers — to apply for Obamacare plans via the federal marketplace.

There are 16,803 people in Hawaii who had Obamacare coverage in 2015. They registered through the Connector but now must re-enroll through the federal healthcare.gov website. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs the Obamacare program, said that as of Dec. 12 only 8,060 people in Hawaii had signed up for coverage on healthcare.gov.

The difference between 2015 and 2016 enrollment is likely related to residents from Compact nations who have been unable to enroll in Healthcare.gov, the Governor’s Office said in a news release.

The extended enrollment period was approved by CMS “to address barriers to enrollment for citizens from the Compact nations as a result of the state’s transition from a private nonprofit marketplace to healthcare.gov,” the Governor’s Office said.

“One of the most critical barriers to enrollment has been the need for increased interpreter services on the healthcare.gov call center for Hawaii residents from the Compact nations,” Rachael Wong, state human services director, said in the news release. “Our outreach team — who joined us from the Connector and have deep connections in the community — continues to work closely with local assister organizations to walk people through the process of re-enrollment.”

On Dec. 4 the state assumed control of certain functions of the troubled Connector, which abruptly closed operations when it ran out of cash.

“When people have access to affordable health care coverage, their health outcomes are more positive, and our four decades of experience with Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974 have shown us that,” Ige said. “We appreciate the federal government’s understanding of the special circumstances our residents from Compact nations face when seeking health care services in Hawaii.”

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