Elsewhere in Kansas, navigators were having more luck. Valorie Libertus, a navigator in Emporia, Kan., said she had barely sat down at her computer at 8 a.m. when her first client of the day arrived and told her, “I hear this is where I need to be for insurance.” Within 30 minutes, the woman was enrolled in coverage and on her way to work.
Libertus said she and her colleagues at Flint Hill Community Health Center were so inundated with appointments and walk-ins that they were expecting to work far past the 5 p.m. closing time and would probably still need to turn people away.
Told about the extra day, she said she was relieved. “If we can squeeze a few more in tomorrow, I’m happy to do it,” she said. “We didn’t know, but that way we can more in, bring a few more people in our doors.”
Beyond the unannounced extension through Christmas Eve, senior administration officials have pointed out during the past two weeks that rules under the law allow a “special enrollment period” for customers who tried and failed to meet the regular deadline.