U.S. Insurers Extend Obamacare Deadline

After Americans hurried to meet the Monday deadline to change or select a new health plan, the insurance industry agreed to push back a deadline and give customers more time to pay their premiums for January. Industry trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans said it would also help refund consumers who may have been billed twice in the transition of switching plans. HealthCare.gov, which was marred by technical flaws upon its rollout last year, appeared to handle the surge in traffic from Americans scrambling to meet the midnight deadline. But the insurance industry “wants to do everything we can to make sure consumers have greater peace of mind about their health-care coverage and support them throughout the open-enrollment process,” said Karen Ignagni, who heads up the trade group. Consumers are advised to check with their carrier regarding varying grace periods for 2015.