Hawaii’s health insurance exchange has extended to April 30 the deadline for those who started to enroll in coverage but have not yet completed the process.
Hawai‘i Health Connector had originally set a grace period through April 15 for individuals who were unable to complete their applications by the original March 31 deadline for Obamacare coverage.
The exchange is designed to match qualified individuals with subsidized coverage as part of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
"Over the past several weeks, the Connector team has been reaching out to assist those with completing their enrollment," Tom Matsuda, the Connector’s interim executive director, said in a statement.
"This will be the last chance for many individuals and families to enroll" to avoid tax penalties under the new health care law.
The next time individuals will be able to sign up for coverage on the Connector is Nov. 15, unless they are waiting to determine if they are eligible for tax credits or have special circumstances such as a change in employment or marital status, Connector officials said.
As of April 12, the Connector enrolled 8,182 consumers but collected 29,314 applications in the individual marketplace.
Applicants seeking tax credits from the Connector are first routed to the state Department of Human Services to see whether they qualify for Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income residents.
Consumers were held up at that point because DHS didn’t collect information the Connector needed to determine tax credit eligibility and because the technology systems at the two organizations were incompatible, Connector officials said, causing a bottleneck in enrollments on the exchange.
To resolve the problem with DHS, the Connector is proposing to shift tax credit determinations — a key part of the application process — to DHS.
To locate a marketplace assister, go to HawaiiHealthConnector.com or call the customer support center at 877-628-5076.
