Pennie health insurance marketplace deadline extended to next Friday

The deadline to enroll in a health insurance plan through Pennsylvania's Obamacare marketplace, known as Pennie, has been extended four days, to Friday, Jan. 19, state officials said Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration decided to push the deadline back from its normal day, Jan. 15, due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Coverage for those enrolling now would begin Feb. 1.

Pennie allows residents to select health plans federally subsidized through tax credits. The monthly premium is capped at 8.5% of household income.

Anyone who is not eligible for job-based insurance and those not enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare can sign up for Pennie. The program is also open to people whose employer-sponsored plan would have them pay more than 8.39% of their income.

On average, Pennsylvania residents save more than $500 a month through the program, and 90% qualify for reduced payments, according to Pennie.

After Jan. 19, only people experiencing a major life event, such as the birth of a child or loss of job, can apply for the subsidized coverage. The annual open enrollment window usually begins in November.

A record number of people – more than 410,000 – have enrolled so far this year, though there are still an estimated 700,000 Pennsylvanians lacking any health insurance coverage, Pennie Executive Director Devon Trolley said.

Anyone interested in applying for health insurance can visit pennie.com, which includes a savings calculator that estimates monthly rates based on income, or call the customer service center at 1-844-844-8040. The call center is staffed from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

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