U.S. extends Obamacare sign-up deadline in case of tech troubles

Americans in most states who tried to apply for medical coverage under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law by a March 31 deadline but met with technical difficulties will get an automatic extension to enroll, officials said on Wednesday. The new federal guidelines apply to consumers in the 36 states served by the federal health insurance marketplace and its website, HealthCare.gov. Monday is the cut-off date for choosing a health plan in 2014. We won’t close the door on those who tried to get covered and were unable to do so through no fault of their own,” said Julie Bataille, spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the healthcare law rollout.