Obamacare in Calif. I Need Help!

The last day to apply for coverage was March 31, unless she previously had gone in and attempted but got kicked out. Most likely this is the number it is asking for. Or she has a change in life event such as loss of job benefits.

Procrastinating cleaning the oven is one thing, but your family's healthcare? NOT smart. Hopefully she has learned her lesson :-(

Bummer for your sister. The previous posters are correct. She needed to have at least attempted to apply by 3/31 to qualify for today's deadline. Here is the e-mail I received from healthcare.gov today:

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If you were trying to enroll for 2014 coverage by the March 31 enrollment deadline and experienced system delays caused by heavy traffic, maintenance periods, or other special situations that prevented you from finishing the process on time, we may still be able to help you get covered.

Finish Enrolling

If you haven’t done so already, complete your enrollment by April 15, 2014:

Log in to your online Marketplace application on HealthCare.gov and finish the enrollment process – you’ll need to just confirm online that you were still trying to enroll on March 31.
Or contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. The Call Center can help you complete your enrollment over the phone. TTY users should call 1-###-###-####. Be sure to tell our customer service representative that you’ve been trying to enroll.

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Maybe have her try that call center number? Good luck! I hope she can squeak by!

Too late now. the open enrollment period is over to get coverage for this year. She will have a chance again in November and December to enroll for January 2015.

The application ID that they are asking for is her ID if she attempted to enroll before March 31, which was the deadline. If she tried and could not complete her application she has a limited amount of time to complete it.

Yup - 3/31 was the deadline but there was a grace period added by President Obama (executive order, I think) so that those who tried but couldn't finish it were not penalized. That's the ID number they are asking for. If your sister is just trying to get coverage, it's her fault, not that of the Affordable Care Act. Yes, healthcare.gov suggests a variety of carrier according to the state you are in, because that gives the states some control/say if they have better plans than the minimum required. If you went to the site, you would have to go further, I think, into different companies before you were asked for info. In many states, the health care connector (which goes by different names) may or may not allow enrollment at this time - but the open enrollment period, which was very heavily advertised in every possible way - is over. Your sister procrastinated and so she will have to pay a penalty on her tax return. But she can still go to her state's network and start shopping around for coverage and prices.

The "penalty" for not signing up is very small, I think $95. The real concern is that her family won't have health insurance for the next eight months.

She didn't need to "try" and get coverage, she just needed to apply in time. The process is very simple. Did she remember to file her taxes yesterday?

I googled it, it is the number you would have got when you first attempted to log on the site before March 31st.

I could never get the web site to work, but I waited on hold to talk to a live person & it was worth the wait. Our premiums were several hundred $$s more than our mortgage each month & was one of the reasons we could never get a bigger house or even add a room! We are now paying almost half what we had been paying for premiums! I wrote down the case # & the name of the person who helped me & when I need to call back, I referenced those & everything was okay. Now we might be able to save some real $ for retirement! Yay, us! Good Luck.

You have to call 1-800-318-2596
Tell them the state, and then they'll ask of you want information or if you want to talk to a representative. Choose to talk to a representative. It'll ask if you want to take a survey, say no. You'll have to wait for someone but once you get someone, just tell them you want to do a phone application.
They'll just do it over the phone.

I think she actually has to complete and e-sign the application to get a number. Have her complete the application to the best of her ability, log out and then in an hour or so, log back in and I bet she will find she has a number and an option to edit her application. Of course, it's too late now to avoid the penalty, but she should go for it anyway if she hasn't already.

Like everyone else said, unless she already started the process, it's too late now. But she can still buy insurance on the private market - it will just be a LOT more expensive than on Covered California. I can tell you from experience that Kaiser is probably going to be the cheapest route to go. If she signs up with Kaiser (or any other insurance company), she won't have to pay a penalty. The point is that you have coverage - they don't care from whom.

ETA: Just saw your SWH. If her employer dropped her coverage this year, then yes, she can still sign up. That's a "qualifying event," so she should be able to sign up.