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Sen. Shaheen Leads Push To Extend Insurance Enrollment Deadline

New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen is asking the Obama Administration to extend the deadline for enrollment in the new Obamacare health exchanges.  This move follows the rocky rollout of the insurance registration website.  

Senator Shaheen wants people to have more time to buy insurance on the new healthcare marketplaces.  Originally under the Affordable Care Act, the uninsured would have until mid-February.  After that, they would face a fine.  But when the healthcare.gov website rolled out this month, a series of glitches made it impossible for many Americans to enroll.  On Sunday, Senator Jeanne Shaheen explained her proposal on “Face the Nation.”

“The rollout has been a disaster, and so what I’m proposing is that we extend the period in which people can enroll so that we can make sure we get as many people who want health insurance able to enroll and be able to be covered,” she said.

So far, the Obama Administration has pushed back the deadline to the end of March, saying the site will be fixed next month. 

But Shaheen sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebilius asking for an unspecified deadline beyond that date.  Nine other Democratic senators signed it.  

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