Dive Brief:

• The majority of states—37 of them—have at least one insurer that has voluntarily extended their application period for ACA plans, according to eHealth, though the official deadline for signing up for coverage that would begin on Jan. 1 through an Affordable Care Act insurance exchange has passed. 
• The open enrollment period for individual and family health insurance began on November 15, 2014, and goes until February 15, 2015.
• Those who don't meet the Feb. 15, 2015, deadline may be subject to tax penalties. 

Dive Insight:

This deadline extension is great news that missed the Dec. 15 deadline amid all the holiday business, but still need coverage as soon as they ring in the New Year. What's more important: Not missing the Feb. 15, 2015 deadline to buy insurance, after which those without coverage could be hit with fines of $325 per adult or 2% of family income, whichever is higher.

So far, a reported 2.5 million Americans have signed up for health insurance plans since Nov. 15, when the online system opened for business, but the Obama administration's goal for 2015 is to get 9.1 million paying customers in plans sold under the law.