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Sign-up period extended again for US health plan

341797_Obamacare law

The White House said Tuesday that it would provide more time for people to sign-up for health insurance under President Barack Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare.

The Obama administration said the Dec. 24, deadline would be extended again for people who can show that they had problems with the federal healthcare website, HealthCare.gov.

The website has been marred by serious technological problems since its launch, making it difficult for Americans to sign up for health insurance.

Tara McGuinness, a White House spokeswoman, said the administration was not providing “a blanket extension,” but was offering to provide “assistance to individuals on a case-by-case basis.”

The move was the latest in a series of deadline changes, exemptions and clarifications that have confused insurance companies and many Americans.

The administration is facing increasing criticism from Republicans who have opposed the law from the start and have repeatedly tried to overturn it.

Obamacare was enacted with the goal of increasing the quality and affordability of health insurance and lowering the uninsured rate. Some 48 million Americans are uninsured and many could qualify for subsidized coverage under the new law.

Uncertainty about the health law’s success in covering uninsured Americans, which begins in January 1, has been a continual political threat to the Obama administration.

The number of Americans supporting Obama’s healthcare law continued to plummet during December, according to a recent CNN/ORC poll.

The poll which was conducted last week shows that only 35 percent of Americans support the law, down from 40 percent in November and 41 percent in October.

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