'Obamacare' boost easy for some, but others face paperwork

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some consumers will find it quick and easy to take advantage of generous health insurance subsidies in the new COVID relief package, but others face extra paperwork and a wait, federal officials said Friday.

The $1.9 trillion legislation signed by President Joe Biden on Thursday includes among its dozens of provisions the biggest expansion of health insurance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act in a decade. It cements the place of the Obama-era law among government health insurance programs, after four years of fruitless efforts by former President Donald Trump to overturn it.

Biden's “Obamacare” expansion reduces costs for new customers, for those already enrolled in the program, for people who experience unemployment this year, and it may also help many whose incomes were too high to previously qualify for subsidies.

But it affects people in each of those groups in a different way, according to a summary released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. Here's a quick overview:

— Starting April 1, people who sign up at HealthCare.gov under a special enrollment period Biden opened up will automatically get the benefit of the higher subsidies authorized by Congress. The extra taxpayer-provided assistance reduces net costs by an average of $50 per person per month, CMS said. Think of it as a discount. The special sign-up period ends May 15.

— More than 9 million already enrolled and receiving subsidies for their private health insurance plans also stand to benefit from the boost in aid. But they will have to go back to HealthCare.gov after Apr. 1 to get their discounts. Or they could wait until tax time next year to claim the richer tax credit owed them under the legislation. A CMS official said the agency is working to see if it can automatically provide current...