Federal ruling against Obamacare will not affect Washington’s Saturday night deadline to sign up for health insurance

The Saturday night deadline to sign up for Obamacare in Washington state and around the country is not affected by a federal judge’s ruling Friday striking down the Affordable Care Act.

That decision, out of Texas, is likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. For now, the Affordable Care Act remains in place — which means you still only have until 11:59 p.m. to enroll for insurance coverage with the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. If you are in the queue by that time, your call will be taken.

The exchange’s support center will stay open until just before midnight. Call 855-923-4633 for information.

“The recent decision in Texas has no impact on consumers in Washington state,” said Michael Marchand, spokesman and chief marketing officer for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. “This court ruling is just another step in what has been, and likely will be, a long litigation process.” Washington is one of 15 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have challenged the lawsuit, filed by Texas in conjunction with 19 other states. 

Federal District Judge Reed O’Connor threw out the Affordable Care Act based on the argument that the mandate requiring people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional.

By midweek, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange had more than 206,000 sign-ups since enrollment opened Nov. 1.

Marchand expects an overall decline in the number of people signing up this year compared to last, for a variety of reasons, including less outreach from the Trump administration in Washington, D.C. However, he said, Friday’s ruling may provide a wake-up call for many people who had not yet enrolled.

“People are going to go, ‘Oh, wow, I wonder what that means to me, and maybe I should get a plan now,’ ” Marchand said.