Dive Brief:
- By the time most people file their 2014 taxes and the uninsured face their first penalties under the ACA, open enrollment for 2015 will have long been over, so there's no way for those potential consumers to apply their lessons learned and avoid this year's even steeper tax penalty.
- Some say there is still a lack of awareness about the penalties and about the actual affordability of ACA health plans once subsidies are factored in, and advocate using this year as a positive learning opportunity.
- Advocates are asking the government to provide consumers another chance to enroll in 2015 after they file their taxes—but federal officials are not indicating any such plans.
Dive Insight:
Officials have been quoted in the media saying they may discuss the possibility of another enrollment period, reports Kaiser Health News, but the official word is that there will be no such thing.
Andrew Slavitt, principal deputy administrator at the CMS, was quoted as saying, "Consumers should consider February 15 as their last opportunity to get coverage, and we won't be considering anything until we get through this open enrollment period."
Of course, there is also the question of whether the tax penalties actually do much to influence consumer behavior, as Healthcare Dive has previously reported. Some experts suggest that the penalty probably will not move a significant number of the uninsured—yet—but that doesn't mean that issuers should rest easy.