Monday Marks The Health Insurance Sign Up Deadline

By Alexandra Olgin
Published: Monday, March 31, 2014 - 6:24am
(Courtesy of Healthcare.gov)
More than 120,000 Arizonans used the Marketplace to get insurance last year.

Monday is the last day to sign up for health insurance, but health care navigators in Arizona say their job is far from over. As of March 1, less than 60,000 people in Arizona picked a health insurance plan through the Marketplace.

Jon Ford is with the Cover Arizona Coalition. He said navigators devoted more time and personnel to try and get as many people signed up before the deadline. Ford said navigators are starting to plan for next year.

“We are going to be digging while the experience is still fresh into kind of what happened. What went well what didn’t go well, what our opportunities are, because before you know it in November, we will be doing this all over again,” said Ford.  

Last week, the Obama administration offered limited extensions for people who have started signing up or have had a major life event such as a wedding or a baby. They will have until mid-April. People who do not fall into either of those categories and missed Monday's deadline will have to pay a penalty and wait until November.