MICHIGAN — The deadline for open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act for 2015 is Feb. 15. This is true both inside and outside the marketplace. So, no matter how you plan to get private coverage for yourself or your family you’ll need to sign up before open enrollment ends. 

If you aren’t covered by health insurance in 2015, the tax penalty will be $325 or 2 percent of your household income, whichever is greater.  

For 2015 you also need to enroll by Feb. 15 to ensure you have coverage that starts by March 1.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is extending its hours the final weekend of enrollment to help consumers get covered.  Starting Friday, Feb. 13, Blue Cross Health Plan Advisors will be available to enroll consumers directly beginning at 8 a.m. They will remain available until midnight each day, ending at midnight on Feb. 15. 

“In the days leading into the end of the enrollment period last year, phone calls spiked tremendously, with more than 30, 000 calls coming in on March 31, 2014, the last day of enrollment,” said Rick Notter, director for individual business at Blue Cross.  

To register for Obamacare, visit www.healthcare.gov or call 800.318.2596. The marketplace is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more on BCBSM 2015 health plan options, consumers can visit bcbsm.com/myblue.