Uninsured Illinois residents who tried to apply for coverage online, on the phone, or with in-person assistance during the Marketplace Open Enrollment period, but ran into issues that prevented them from getting enrolled by March 31st have until April 15th to enroll for health coverage. Residents can visit the GetCoveredIllinois.gov website to see if they qualify for the extra time to complete their applications.

Nationally, the surge in the final days of open enrollment has led to more than seven million Americans enrolling before the deadline. Illinois enrollment numbers are not yet available but the GetCoveredIllinois.gov website experienced very high volume in recent weeks, as many Illinois residents actively engaged in the enrollment process. On Monday, the site surpassed two million visitors since Oct. 1st, with half that amount coming in the last six weeks. More than 100,000 people visited the state site on Monday. The GCI Help Desk was also busy, fielding more than 54,000 calls from consumers last week.

Get Covered Illinois is urging health care consumers who qualify to take advantage of the assistance that is being offered via the web, over the phone and in-person through hundreds of community partners statewide during special enrollment. Visit, GetCoveredIllinois.gov or call the Get Covered Illinois Help Desk at 866-311-1119.