Want health coverage on New Year’s Day? Sign up before Christmas Eve.

Dec. 22--Washington residents who want to sign up for medical or dental insurance through the state's health plan exchange have until one minute before midnight Friday if they want coverage to start with the new year.

The 11:59 p.m. deadline will apply for people signing up through the state's website, or by calling the Customer Support Center, which will have operators available that late to handle questions about different options.

The amount of traffic on the website is about three times what it was a year ago, Ben Spradling, of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, said Wednesday. Nearly 20,000 residents signed up for health insurance in the past week.

Open enrollment began on Nov. 1, and continues through Jan. 31, but people who want their coverage to start Jan. 1 must sign up by Friday. So far, more than 180,000 people have signed up for a Qualified Health Plan through the exchange.

Some individuals and families enrolled this year in a health plan that will continue next year were automatically signed up for that plan if they didn't take steps to switch, Spradling said. Those customers should have received information from the insurance company about any changes in the plan, such as doctors or clinics no longer covered under the plan's network.

"Coverage does change from year to year," Spradling said. Staff at the customer service center might not know all the changes in each plan, but insurance brokers and the companies would.

One such change in the Spokane area involves Premera's individual network plans available through the exchange, Heritage Signature and Lifewise Connect. Those Premera plans will not cover care through Providence Health and Services in 2017, so re-enrolled customers in those individual plans should check whether their doctors are still included, and decide if they want to change plans.

Premera and Providence did sign a contract in October for the Heritage Plus network, which is for commercial and employer sponsored health plans.

Customers who don't need insurance coverage until Feb. 1 have until Jan. 23 to sign up for a plan. Those who choose a plan between Jan. 24 and Jan. 31 will have coverage that starts March 1.

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