More than 7 million people have enrolled in private health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
The White House met its original goal of enrolling 7 million people by March 31 through new federal and state marketplaces created by the landmark legislation. Despite false advertising about the ACA, numerous Republican attempts to dismantle the law, and problems with the rollout of the Healthcare.gov site, millions of Americans will now access quality, affordable health insurance.
In addition, the White House will offer some relief to those individuals who began the process of enrolling online, but could not finish by the March 31 deadline. In these cases, the deadline will be temporarily extended. In order to qualify for this extension, individuals must indicate on Healthcare.gov that they attempted to enroll before March 31. Special enrollment periods will also continue to be available to accommodate families with new babies or to enroll people who become unemployed and lose their health insurance.
Media Resources: Washington Post 4/1/14, 3/25/14