Senate Republican leadership updated its healthcare reform bill to include a penalty for not having continuous coverage.

Starting in 2019, a person who doesn't have insurance for 63 days or more in the past year has to wait six months for coverage to begin. The provision would only affect people who buy insurance on the individual market, which is for people who don't have insurance through their employer.

"Consumers will not have to pay premiums during the six-month period," according to an explanation of the changes.

The goal is to entice people to get into the individual market, much like Obamacare's individual mandate for getting insurance.

The change is different from a continuous coverage penalty in the House-passed American Health Care Act.

The House provision says people who had insurance coverage that lapsed for 63 or more days have to pay a penalty of 30 percent of their premium every month for 12 months when they repurchase coverage.

The insurance industry previously signaled support for a six-month delay provision. In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, America's Health Insurance Plans wrote: "Effective incentives are needed to encourage consumers to get and maintain insurance coverage continuously as part of a broader strategy to make coverage more affordable for everyone. Well-designed and effective continuous coverage policies — such as late enrollment penalties or waiting periods — are a critically important element in stabilizing markets, especially if the tax penalties associated with the individual coverage requirement are eliminated, as contemplated under the AHCA."