Deadline Tuesday: Final Days to Enroll for 2014 Health Insurance

Time's up.

After various extensions, the deadline to finish signing up for a health plan under the Affordable Care Act is here. People have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to complete their applications.

Dana Howard from the state marketplace Covered California says the deadline is real. There will be no more grace periods for people who encounter long lines or technical difficulties on the website. There will be no special dispensation this time for people who wait until the last minute.

“We're not making up a new policy for people who have not taken this seriously,” Howard said. “This is your health. This is a new law.”

Organizers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) hosted health fairs through the weekend where people who had trouble signing up online by the original March 31^st deadline could get help in person. They have two fairs on Monday in Los Angeles and Sacramento.

“I also find tons of people who say, ya know what, ‘I was able to get all the way through the process, but I didn't pick a plan. I wasn't sure,’” said Elliott Petty, an organizer overseeing fairs in LA.

After Tuesday, people will be able to sign up for insurance only if they have what is known as a  “qualifying life event.”

“Things like get married, you have or you adopt a child, as well if you lose a job and therefore your health coverage goes out the door,” says Howard.

Enrollment in Medi-Cal, the state's no- or low-cost coverage for low-income people, has no deadline for enrollment. People who qualify can sign up anytime.

Those who do not have insurance in 2014 may have to pay a penalty -- 1 percent of income or $95, whichever is greater.

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