Sen. Joe Manchin wants the Obama administration to delay the Affordable Care Act’s personal mandate — the section of the law requiring everyone to get health insurance, or face a tax penalty — by one year.
Manchin currently is working on legislation to delay those penalties.
It’s not the first time our junior senator has spoken out about the mandate, but he’s now part of a growing chorus in Washington (made up of both Democrats and Republicans) asking for a delay of penalties.
The Obama administration already has extended the March 31 deadline by six weeks. Officials say the change was spurred by some confusion about the open enrollment period.
Those who purchase coverage near the end of March probably would not receive coverage before March 31, subjecting them to the individual mandate’s penalties even though they have purchased insurance.
Now, individuals are only required to purchase health insurance coverage by March 31.
Officials say the delay has nothing to do with the severe technical glitches that have plagued Healthcare.gov since it opened Oct. 1.
In other news…
- Fewer than 100 of West Virginia’s 23,000 federal employees received unemployment benefits during the recent government shutdown. That’s much lower than WorkForce West Virginia originally expected.
- West Virginia is still lobbying for an ethane cracker.
