If you’re considering signing up for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this year there are some important policy changes that have not been widely announced. The changes with the highest impact on the average family are unexpected deadline changes. Open enrollment for 2018 begins on Nov 1, 2017, and ends Dec 15, 2017. This only leaves a window of a month and a half to sign up for ACA coverage.

Tips to get started with obtaining coverage are available through Healthcare.gov. In previous years a public campaign has been launched through many avenues providing information to people who need it most. Do not expect the same outreach this year. The responsibility of knowing the deadlines and getting your application done in the brief window of time provided will be entirely your responsibility. More policy changes which make it difficult to sign up for the ACA may surface as the sign-up period comes closer thanks to the current administration’s dislike for the law.

Please, if you know someone who needs to sign up this year make sure they know about the deadline change. Outreach this year will be minimal compared to the information that’s been provided in previous years. The shorter deadline and lack of information provided will have a very real negative impact on the ability of people who desperately need coverage to sign up.