Deadline extended to enroll in Washington state health benefits

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If you have not yet signed up for health insurance through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange and want to, there is still time.

A limited time special enrollment period has been added for people who had trouble selecting a plan before Saturday's original deadline.

Those interested in signing up for healthcare during the extended enrollment should call customer support at 855-923-4633 by 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20 and request special enrollment with benefits beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Representatives at customer support can speak 175 languages and are available from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.

The enrollment deadline extension comes after a shortened enrollment period for 2018 and "other barriers," officials said in a release.

Gov. Jay Inslee's office specified on Twitter that those barriers include Friday's power outages and "unexpected system maintenance" that happened last week.

With power outages and unexpected system maintenance over the past week, @WAplanfinder is extending a special open enrollment through Dec. 20. If you haven't signed up for medical insurance yet, you can select a plan starting coverage on Jan. 1.https://t.co/0bYyJ5sD83 — Washington State Governor’s Office (@WAStateGov) December 18, 2018

A total of 222,636 customers signed up for health insurance through Washington's Healthplanfinder during the normal enrollment period, according to a news release. Over 11,000 people signed up for coverage in the last two days of the standard enrollment period.

This year, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange also saw a 20 percent increase in Washingtonians renewing their health plan coverage.

"We experienced remarkable volume in the days before the deadline from residents signing up for health coverage," said Pam MacEwan, CEO of the Exchange. "We urge those who have not yet secured their 2019 coverage to call our customer support center by Dec. 20 and request to enroll in coverage that starts Jan. 1 of next year."