The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced another extension, the third in fact, of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Pool (PCIP), a plan that was set up to help individuals obtain health insurance who otherwise couldn't or couldn't afford it because of health challenges. It was to be a stopgap measure until the full Affordable Care Act (ACA) kicked in on New Year's Day 2014.
Those who are currently in the plan and who haven't obtained insurance in the Obamacare Marketplace can now continue in PCIP for another month, or until the end of April 2014, HHS announced.
PCIP was originally scheduled to expire at the end of 2013, but it was extended one month before that happened. Then it was extended until the end of the Marketplace open enrollment period on March 31. Now another month has been tacked on.
In a separate announcement, HHS declared that insurers could not refuse coverage to same-sex couples.