Enrollment deadline extended for people in high-risk pools

A special insurance program for about 30,000 people with a history of cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses will be extended for an additional two months so enrollees can continue treatments while they search for other coverage, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.

Kaiser Health News: HHS Extends Coverage For Patients In Federal High-Risk Pools
The tens of thousands of people with a history of serious illnesses who are enrolled in high-risk insurance pools created under the health care law will have an additional two months -- until March 31 -- before they lose that coverage, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday (Carey, 1/14).

The New York Times: Program to Cover Major Illnesses Is Extended
A special health insurance program for people with cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses will be extended for two additional months, through March, so patients can continue treatment while they search for other coverage, the Obama administration said Tuesday. About 30,000 people are now in the program, known as the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (Pear, 1/15).

The Wall Street Journal: White House Extends High-Risk Insurance Program
The Obama administration said Tuesday it was extending for an additional two months a federal insurance program to cover up to 30,000 people with existing medical conditions who had yet to gain insurance through private health plans. The Department of Health and Human Services said it was postponing the closure of the program until March 31 (Radnofsky, 1/14).

Fox News: White House Pushes Back ObamaCare Enrollment Deadline For Pre-Existing Conditions
The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it was delaying the deadline for people with pre-existing conditions to enroll in ObamaCare. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Tuesday that it was moving the deadline to March 15 from January 31, the originally scheduled end of the enrollment period.  "As part of our continuing effort to help smooth consumers' transition into Marketplace coverage, we are allowing those covered by (the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan) additional time to shop for new coverage while they receive the ongoing care and treatment they need," HHS spokeswoman Joanne Peters said in a statement (1/15).