HONOLULU, Oahu — The federal government is allowing more time for a group of migrants in Hawaii to enroll in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act.
HONOLULU, Oahu — The federal government is allowing more time for a group of migrants in Hawaii to enroll in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act.
People living in Hawaii under the Compact of Free Association will get 60 extra days to sign up, Gov. David Ige announced Thursday.
The compact allows migrants from several Pacific Island nations to live and work freely in the U.S. In exchange, the U.S. military controls strategic parts of their region.
But an estimated 4,300 migrants who were insured through the Hawaii Health Connector haven’t been able to re-enroll in the federal HealthCare.gov website, because they’re having trouble enrolling due to language barriers and documentation requirements, state officials said.
The decision to extend the deadline came as welcome news to people who have been helping with the enrollment efforts.
Once people from compact nations are enrolled, a state program covers the cost of the premiums, said Rachel Wong, Hawaii director of human services.
The state negotiated with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to extend the enrollment time.
The deadline to enroll for coverage that begins Jan. 1 had previously been Dec. 17. The new deadline is Feb. 15. The extra time will help migrants avoid coverage gaps.