CHICAGO (AP) — The deadline has passed, and so too thesurprise grace period, for signing up for
health insurance as part ofthe nation’s health care law.Now what?For those who wereable to navigate the
glitch-prone and often overwhelmed HealthCare.govwebsite, there’s still work to be done to make sure success
online leadsto actual coverage come the new year.The first step experts recommend is to call your insurance
company and double-check they received your payment.Whatif you missed the Christmas Eve deadline and still
want insurance in2014, as the health law requires of most Americans? You may be withouthealth insurance for
a month, but you can still sign up for coveragethat will start in February."Be patient, because they’re
tryingto help you," said Tina Stewart, a 25-year-old graduate student in SaltLake City who succeeded in
enrolling in a health plan Tuesday morning."It will take time."The historic changes made by the
AffordableCare Act take full effect on Jan. 1. People with chronic healthconditions can no longer be denied
health insurance. Those who get sickand start piling up medical bills will no longer lose their
coverage.Out-of-pocket limits arrive that are designed to protect patients fromgoing bankrupt.But unless the
1 million Americans who have so farenrolled for coverage via the new marketplaces make sure
theirapplications have arrived at their new insurance companies withouterrors, some may find they’re still
uninsured when they try to refill aprescription or make a doctor’s appointment."The enrollment
fileshave been getting better and more accurate, but there is still workthat needs to be done," said
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman forAmerica’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents theprivate
insurance industry. "The health plans are still having to goback and fix some of data errors coming
through in these files."Ifeverything went smoothly, consumers can expect to see a welcome packetarrive
in the mail from their insurance company, Zirkelbach said. Ifnot, a phone call to the insurer might clear
things up."If aconsumer signed up yesterday, they shouldn’t expect the health plan tohave their
enrollment application today," Zirkelbach said. "Allow acouple of days to receive and process
those enrollments."Payingthe first premium is crucial. Because of the changing deadlines forenrollment,
most insurers have agreed to allow payments through Jan. 10and will make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1, he
said.Anyone whomissed the Christmas Eve deadline to enroll for insurance to start inJanuary can still apply
at HealthCare.gov for coverage to begin later.The federal website serves 36 states, but also directs people
elsewhereto the online insurance site serving their state. The site also offersdirections to local agencies
offering in-person help.After thedisastrous rollout in October, the federal website received 2 millionvisits
on Monday, and heavy — but not as heavy — traffic on Tuesday.White House spokeswoman Tara McGuinness said
she had no immediateestimate of visitors Tuesday or how many succeeded in obtaininginsurance before the
midnight Christmas Eve deadline. The unexpectedone-day grace period was just the latest in a string of
delays andreversals.Unless you qualify for Medicaid, you’ll pay a monthly"premium" fee to an
insurance company for coverage. Before the companycovers actual medical costs, you may have to pay a certain
amount calleda deductible, in addition to a possible set fee for a doctor visit(copay) or a percentage of
the cost of a medical service (coinsurance).Federaltax credits are aimed at helping make premiums more
affordable forhouseholds earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federalpoverty line. That’s
$11,490 to $45,960 for an individual, $23,550 to$94,200 for a family of four.Finally, note the next
significantdeadline isn’t for a few more months. If you don’t have coverage byMarch 31, you’ll pay a tax
penalty next year of $95 or 1 percent of yourincome, whichever is higher.Ron Pollack, president of
FamiliesUSA, a liberal advocacy group that has led efforts to get uninsuredpeople signed up for coverage
next year, said that’s the deadline thatmatters most."The real significant deadline is March 31,"
Pollack said. "The enrollment period extends for another three months."___Associated Press Medical
Writer Carla K. Johnson can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/CarlaKJohnsonCopyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten orredistributed.