Why extending Obamacare's deadline might backfire

The window to buy Obamacare insurance closed on Feb. 15—except where it didn't. Many consumers stymied by website glitches at the deadline will get an extra week to enroll. In Washington state, officials announced on Monday that people will have an extra two months to sign up for health plans, through April 17. That gives uninsured people who learn about the tax penalties of skipping coverage between now and the April 15 tax deadline a chance to sign up. A group of Democratic senators is urging the Obama administration to extend the deadline nationwide, and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell told Bloomberg last week that she's considering it.