Connecticut: Deadline Extension! Deadline for Jan. coverage bumped out to 12/17

I'm genuinely surprised by this. While deadline extensions and "overtime periods" were all the rage during the first two Open Enrollment Periods, there were only a handful of states which bumped their deadlines out last year, and I was honestly expecting every state to stick with their original dates this time around.

Instead, yesterday Covered California announced a 2-day extension of their enrollment deadline for coverage starting in January; today, the Connecticut exchange announced the same:

LT. GOV. WYMAN, ACCESS HEALTH CT CEO JIM WADLEIGH, ANNOUNCE OPEN ENROLLMENT EXTENSION

Consumers Have Until December 17, 2016 to Enroll in Healthcare Coverage That Begins on January 1, 2017

(Hartford, Conn.) – Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Chair of the Board of Access Health CT (AHCT) and AHCT CEO Jim Wadleigh announced today that the deadline for enrolling in healthcare coverage that begins on January 1, 2017 has been moved from tonight at midnight to Saturday, December 17, 2016 at midnight.

“Our highest priority is ensuring that our residents have healthcare coverage,” said Lt. Governor Wyman. “This extension means more people are covered for January 1st, and that means more people have access to the care and treatment they need to live healthy, productive lives.”

“High demand drove the decision to extend the deadlines,” said CEO Wadleigh. “I want to thank our insurance carriers for helping us respond to this demand and the needs of our customers. This gives people the opportunity to understand their options what financial assistance may be available to help lower the costs of the plans or deductibles. Many of our customers qualify for subsidies that dramatically reduce the cost of insurance.”

Over the past seven days (compared to same time last year), AHCT call volume increased 22 percent and web traffic is up 30 percent. In relation to this time in 2015, new customer enrollment for Qualified Health Plans (QHP) is currently trending 12 percent higher than last year. Overall enrollment is up more than 3 percent.

AHCT staff encourages customers to prepare as much as possible before enrolling, including gathering documents and reviewing their options. The following documents or information is needed to enroll in a health insurance plan through AHCT:

• Social security number
• Visa, green card or other immigration documents
• Most recent tax return
• Employer Information including offers of employer sponsored coverage
• Current insurance coverage