Obamacare’s open sign-up ends today

Shortened enrollment will allow some special extensions

Florida is leading the nation with more than 1 million people signing up for health insurance in the federal marketplace since open enrollment began Nov. 1, according to numbers released by the Trump administration this week.

Nationwide, almost 4.7 million people have signed up for a plan this year, which is 17 percent more than the same time last year. But because the open enrollment period for Obamacare ends today and is half as long as last year, the final number is likely to fall short of last year’s 12 million.

In addition, it is expected that some people are still unaware of the earlier deadline this year. A recent survey by eHealth.com showed that more than half of the consumers shopping for marketplace health insurance on its website did not know that open enrollment ends Dec. 15.

“It’s important that people get the message: this may be your last chance to enroll in 2018 health insurance coverage,” said eHealth CEO Scott Flanders in a news release.

Still, the 13 marketplace navigators in Central Florida have been fully booked on the days leading up to today, said Anne Packham, the area’s lead navigator and marketplace project director for the Primary Access Care Network.

“We’ve been working evenings and weekends,” she said Thursday during a brief break from appointments. “We’re getting a lot of calls today, and tomorrow will be extremely busy.”

Tony Jenkins is market president for Florida Blue, the largest insurer in Florida, which is offering at least one marketplace plan in each county. Jenkins said enrollment and reenrollment numbers have been strong and the company is expecting its overall numbers to be similar to last year’s.

This year, there is also a special enrollment period for individuals who have been affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Their