No fines if you enroll for health insurance by March 31

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act -- without getting a fine -- was actually Feb. 15, not March 31 as has been advertised.

But the Obama administration this week announced it will delay imposing penalties for six weeks so that people can safely enroll through March 31. 

The healthcare.gov website has malfunctioned since enrollment opened Oct. 1, but the White House said the delay is not linked with those website problems. Rather, officials said it's a clarification of the law's intent.

The law currently requires that by Jan. 1 most people must have health insurance, and allows enrollment through March 31.  It also allows consumers to be without coverage for less than three consecutive months without a fine.

But to have insurance by March 31, consumers would have to choose a policy by Feb. 15 to allow enough time for their enrollment to be processed so coverage would start March 1. Most insurance coverage begins on the first of the month.

With the new administration announcement, consumers can wait until March 31 to enroll and not face fines.

Here's an article from the Kaiser Health News: 

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/October/23/administration-adjusts-deadline-for-health-law-coverage-penalty.aspx