Megan Reed, Campus Carrier News Editor

Federal officials announced Tuesday that anyone seeking to apply for healthcare through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will have until about mid-April to ask for an extension. The deadline had previously been March 31.

People will be able to qualify for an extension by going to healthcare.gov and checking a box indicating that they tried to apply before the deadline.

However, Brad Reeder, Berry’s director of financial planning, said the ACA, also known as Obamacare, will not affect Berry as much as it will affect other institutions or companies because Berry already offers employees insurance.

All full-time Berry employees are offered medical, dental, prescription, life and disability insurance at no cost to the employee, Reeder said. Part-time employees are offered these benefits as well, but there is a cost.

Berry students are currently required to report their insurance information to the school. This is done to ensure that Berry will be able to provide students’ insurance information to off-campus hospitals or healthcare providers in the case of an emergency or if the student does not have the information readily available, Anita Errickson, director of the Health and Wellness Center, said. Students are not required to have health insurance or pay a copay to use the services at the Health and Wellness Center.

“The only thing that the Health and Wellness Center charges for is the gynecological services,” Errickson said.

Errickson said about 10 percent of students each year report being uninsured.

While senior Koby Boatright is not in this 10 percent, he believes the law can be overwhelming or confusing.

“Most people try and talk about it as though they understand it, but the simple fact of the matter is that a law that big is kind of a behemoth,” Boatright said.

The ACA provides people with the opportunity to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans until they turn 26, which allows many college students to maintain insurance benefits after leaving home and even  after graduating college.

Errickson said the ACA also protects people who have chronic health conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, who may be denied insurance otherwise.

“If you were born with something … if you have a chronic condition that you deal with all the time, that can no longer be held against you when you search out new insurance,” Errickson said.

Also under the ACA, all Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods are covered by insurance, as well as preventive services such as screening for HIV, diabetes and depression.

Anyone who is uninsured will need to pay a penalty of either one percent of their household income for the year or $95 per adult each year, whichever amount is higher. People who are uninsured will also be required to cover the costs of their own medical care.

Reeder said open enrollment for Berry’s benefit plans will begin on April 1. Representatives from insurance carriers will be available to answer questions about coverage and benefits.