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Take Care Utah and other groups helping Utahns sign up for subsidized health insurance under Obamacare will be open over the weekend for last-minute help before the 10 p.m. MST Sunday deadline.
Take Care Utah Director Randal Serr said Utahns can get help by dialing 2-1-1 and may be able to connect, even over the weekend, with a navigator in their area. They also can find resources at TakeCareUtah.org.
"The good news is, if they just start their application this weekend and are unable to finish, they'll be OK," Serr said. "People just need to get their foot in the door."
Accounts can be opened at the https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/">federal marketplace, healthcare.gov, or by calling the government's toll-free help line, 1-800-318-2596. Assistance is available in 150 languages.
Serr said most of this weekend's appointments at the Utah Health Policy Project, where he also works, have filled up in recent days as people rush to meet the deadline. But "at this point they can walk in and we'll do our best to accommodate people."
Through Feb. 6, 124,142 Utahns had signed up for coverage or had automatically renewed their plans on the marketplace, a news release from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services said.
That's nearly 50 percent more than signed up last year, when more than 84,000 Utahns signed up for Obamacare.
Through Jan. 16, a hefty percentage of those signing up were under age 18 — 22 percent, compared to 9 percent nationally — according to an HHS brief.
One of the goals of Obamacare was to insure young adults, and it looks like it's succeeding in Utah.
Some 32 percent of Utahns signing up were between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, higher than the 26 percent share nationally.
Of course, Utah has more children and a younger population in general.
"Parents are trying to take care of their kids the best they can," Serr says. "It's a combination of demographics and need."
For those who want to sign up this weekend, UHPP's office is at 1832 Research Way, No. 60, in West Valley City.
Take Care Utah has a $485,000 federal grant to help people sign up for Affordable Care Act insurance. Besides UHPP, lead partners in Take Care Utah are the Association for Utah Community Health and United Way of Salt Lake 2-1-1.
The organization teamed up with community organizations around Utah to train the navigators who are helping people sign up.
The only people allowed to sign up for federally-subsidized insurance after Sunday night are those whose circumstances change or who move to new locales.
And the cost of not getting insurance privately, through an employer or through the federal exchange goes up this year.
In 2015, a family that is not exempt because of low income or other reasons could face a maximum penalty on their federal income tax return of $975. The tax is $325 per adult and $162.50 per child under 18 years old.
For 2014, the "shared responsibility" payment, as the penalty is called, is $95 per adult and $47.50 per child. The maximum penalty for a family is $285 on the 2014 tax returns now being prepared.
Twitter: @KristenMoulton