When is a deadline not a deadline? When it gets extended.
Covered California officials have extended the deadline to sign up for a new health plan until Feb. 22. But the reprieve only applies to people who started the application process before Feb. 15.
People who didn't enroll in a plan by Feb. 15 face a tax penalty on next year's return.
The exchange's executive director, Peter Lee, said it's not self-service.
"People cannot do this on their own," Lee said. "They need to go to Covered California, and find a storefront, an insurance agent in their community to help them.”
As of last Sunday, more than 470,000 Californians newly enrolled in a health plan. Nearly 800,000 additional people signed up for Medi-Cal coverage.
“So between these two efforts, we’ve expanded the ranks of the insured by approximately 1.2 million people," Lee said. "That's big."
Lee said about nine out 10 people who newly enrolled in a plan received a subsidy. Nearly 1 million Californians who signed up for a Covered California plan in 2013 renewed their policy.
