Washington (CNN) The open enrollment period for Obamacare has been extended until December 18 for those who couldn't sign up on Sunday, the original deadline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Monday. In a statement, CMS said that out of "an abundance of caution, to accommodate consumers who attempted to enroll in coverage during the final hours of Open Enrollment but who may have experienced issues" the deadline is being extended until 3 a.m. ET Wednesday to "give consumers the opportunity to come back and complete their enrollment for January 1 coverage." The extension follows weeks of weak enrollment reports for 2020 Obamacare plans. In a statement last week, CMS said nearly 3.9 million people had signed up on the federal exchange, Healthcare.gov, between November 1 -- when the enrollment period began -- and December 7.

Source: CNN December 16, 2019 20:14 UTC