Covered California has extended its deadline to sign up for a health insurance plan that begins Jan. 1, 2017.
Consumers now have until midnight on Dec. 17 to enroll.
The extension comes on the heels of a huge demand.
In the last two days, more than 25,000 new people have signed up for a plan through Covered California. That's nearly double the amount that enrolled over the same period last year.
Covered California is the state's health insurance marketplace and was set up under the Affordable Care Act. It puts customers in touch with insurance companies.
“We have a lot of phone applications. And those, we’ll be pushing through on the back-end. The two extra days will give us more time to prepare for it,” said Steve Su of Amity & Elite Insurance. “On top of that, we might open extended hours just to help our clients out.
Su said his business is taking upwards of 60 calls a day. That’s more than triple its normal amount.
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Open enrollment will continue to run through the end of January. Any applicants after Saturday’s deadline will have to wait for a later coverage start date.
