The March 31 deadline for enrolling in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace is nigh, but don't fret... Obama and friends have decided to give extra time to American's who've already begun to apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, but won't be finished by this upcoming Monday.
HealthCare.gov's mid-April extension can be acquired easily by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov, which will qualify consumers for the extension based on an "honor system." The honor system functions under the belief that consumers will tell the truth to the government about when the process was started, and government will not attempt to determine if this is true or false.

The large loophole will apply to federal exchange operations in three dozen states, and slightly undermines the hard-set March 31 deadline set in place by White House officials. Technically, however, the extra window of time does not alter the deadline; instead it will create a new category of individuals who are eligible for the exchanges during, what's being called, "the special enrollment period."

The additional time was confirmed by federal officials Tuesday evening, but wasn't officially announced until today. Consumer advocates want as many people as possible to sign up under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, though Republicans will undoubtedly have a field day with the extension, as they oppose the law, and rebuffed the administration's method of implementation.

The potential onslaught of participants hoping to enroll within the final days of the deadline prompted officials to offer an extension as not to overwhelm or exhaust the system. Enrollment with Obamacare ensures access to insurance that's otherwise unaffordable for many Americans, though HealthCare.gov frustrated many people who attempted to enroll during the fall.

"We are ... making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment -- either online or over the phone," said Julie Bataille, director of the office of communications for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the federal health-care exchange.

Late arrivals and those who've had to wait due to complications with the system will benefit from the extension. Also, those who are going to have a new baby, are getting a divorce, or lose a job with health insurance will benefit. Technical problems, which have plagued the site since its creation, are expected to be solved as the nation attempts to calculate subsidies to determine payment for coverage.

An exact time frame for the expansion has not been set, and deciding on a time will be determined by how many people may need it. Official also have not shared how long people will have to select a health plan after the extention.

When extensions are no long available through HealthCare.gov, consumers will be able to request more time through federally sponsored call centers nationwide; after, the grounds for extensions will narrow, and a method known "self-attestation" will be used, where people will be trusted to state why they need more time.

Similar steps have been taken by some of the 14 states running their own health-insurance exchanges. Minnesota announced that it would do the same; and Maryland's computer issues disallowed enrollment deadlines to be met. Oregon and Nevada are also exploring other options.

Failure to have insurance by the March 31 deadline would put one at risk of a government fine in the form of a tax penalty when they file their 2014 taxes next year, though that does not apply to those who gain an extension under the new guidelines.

Insurance companies are the ones who're most weary about the plans, extra time and changes to the new marketplace, as they want to minimize the possibility that people may become sick while waiting for coverage to come into effect -- the wait could mean the manifestation of greater illnesses or costlier responses to the sickness.

"The whole point of the thing is to get people covered," said Jon Kingsdale, a health-care consultant and former director of Massachusetts' insurance exchange, which was the first in the country, opening several years before the federal law set up a similar national marketplace. "In the first year, there has been so much confusion, I think it's only natural there will be people who just don't feel as if they fully understood what the law was and what they were supposed to do and that the opportunity would close."

So far, as many as 5.2 million people have signed up for private plans through the exchanges, according to the government's figures from March 1. Obama has spent the last week pushing ACA with a "March Madness" campaign, while the first lady reached out to families with messages about the importance of coverage. Celebrities and their mothers have joined in on the ACA-movement, and many states have up to 150 events planned for the final week of HealthCare.gov enrollment.

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