Pennsylvania extends ACA open enrollment final deadline for Pennie health insurance plans

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Pennsylvanians still shopping for 2024 health insurance during the Affordable Care Act annual open enrollment period will now get a little more time to select plans this year.

The final enrollment deadline has been extended one week and will now end on Jan. 19, state officials announced Tuesday.

The original deadline of Jan. 15 fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and holiday observance when most local and state offices are closed.

“We have seen a record number of Pennsylvanians enrolling through Pennie. Don’t miss out,” Devon Trolley, Pennie’s executive director, said in a statement. “If you wait until you need medical care, it will be too late.”

The new deadline of Jan. 19 is the last chance for people to change their insurance coverage through Pennie, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. Many residents will be automatically re-enrolled in plans if they take no other action.

People who sign up for health insurance this month will get coverage starting Feb. 1.

About 45,780 people in Pennsylvania have selected plans as new or returning customers as of Dec. 6, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Another 319,764 eligible people across the commonwealth are slated for auto re-enrollment.

State officials estimate that nine in 10 people will qualify for some kind of financial discount or savings that can help lower monthly premiums and copays.

Enrollment assistance is available online at Pennie and by phone through the Pennie Customer Service Center at 1-844-844-8040.