After the government extended the original deadline to sign up for health insurance a week due to technical issues with the Obamacare website, the deadline has been pushed back one day further in order to accommodate heavy traffic, according to the Associated Press.
The Obama administration officially extended the deadline date for those who wish to be insured by Jan. 1 to Christmas eve but officials urge Americans to complete the process as soon as possible, according to the AP. The extra time will allow for any problem from a last minute rush to be dealt with.
"You should not wait until tomorrow. If you are aiming to get coverage Jan. 1, you should try to sign up today," Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services, said, according to the AP.
Since it went live in October, HealthCare.gov has suffered serious glitches, but it was reported as working smoothly on Monday, according to a government tweet, the AP reported.
Though the extra day will provide American's who need to sign up for health insurance some breathing room, it cuts one day for insurance companies to process all the applications which could lead to some administrative issues, the AP reported.
According to health care industry consultant Robert Laszewski, "insurers would like to have two to three weeks to process applications. Now they're going to have a week, less one more day," the AP reported.
The Obama administration announced Friday that 1 million Americans had already signed up for insurance through the website, the AP reported. By Dec. 31, 3.3 million Americans are estimated to be signed up, with the goal of 7 million by the end of March.
Officials did add that those who do not seek coverage by the end of March could face future tax penalties, according to the AP.
