Sickest may keep 'high-risk' coverage for additional month, officials say

The program to cover those with pre-existing health conditions was initially set to expire at the end of 2013, but officials have extended it for the third time.

The Wall Street Journal: 'High Risk' Federal Health-Insurance Enrollees May Extend Coverage
The Obama administration said Friday that thousands of "high risk" people who are still enrolled in a federal health-insurance program slated to close in two weeks will have the option of extending their coverage for one more month. A notice appeared Friday on the website of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan telling enrollees that, if they had not yet found new coverage through health-insurance exchanges, they could purchase an additional month of coverage through April 30 (Radnofsky, 3/14).

The Washington Post: HHS Will Let Sickest Patients Stay On Their Health Plans Longer 
The Obama administration is again extending a temporary Obamacare program insuring some of the sickest patients in the country amid concerns not enough people will find new coverage by the end of the month. People enrolled in the temporary Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, which was set to expire March 31, can purchase an extra month of coverage, the Obama administration said this afternoon (Millman and Eilperin, 3/14). 

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Federal High Risk Pools Extended For A Month 
In a notice posted on the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan website, officials announced that program enrollees who have not yet purchased coverage through the health law's online marketplaces, or exchanges, could keep their current coverage until April 30 while they continue their search. But they must enroll in a new plan by April 15 to avoid any gaps in coverage (Carey, 3/14). 

The Hill: HHS Extends Temporary Health Plan For Sick Patients
The Obama administration is giving sick patients on a temporary, federal health plan one additional month to find new coverage. The announcement Friday afternoon will delay the expiration of the Pre-Existing Conditional Insurance Plan (PCIP) until April 30, the plan's third extension (Viebeck, 3/14).

In other coverage news -

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: HHS Says Insurers' Coverage For Same-Sex Spouses Must Match Other Married Couples
The change means that same-sex married couples who have been unable to buy family policies will be able to do so. The guidance, presented in an FAQ format from the Department of Health and Human Services, applies to health plans in the group and individual markets that were not in operation before the health law and grandfathered in the federal health law. It clarifies existing federal rules, the guidance said (Andrews, 3/14).

Reuters: U.S. Says Obamacare Covers Married Gay Couples Under Family Plan
Married gay couples will be eligible for a family health policy under President Barack Obama's health care reform law, beginning in 2015, the U.S. government said on Friday, encouraging insurers to begin offering coverage this year. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also announced it would extend for one month a temporary program that offers insurance to some of the sickest Americans, who have had trouble finding private plans in new health insurance marketplaces set up in all 50 states under Obamacare (Morgan, 3/14).