Your Weekly Dose of Health February 20th, 2015

The state health department is giving more time to those who began filling out their healthcare enrollment applications by the deadline will have until the end of the month to finish it. Those who finish their application by the original February 15^th deadline will be covered by March 1^st, and those who finish by the end of February will be covered April 1^st.

More than 2.1 million people have enrolled in healthcare coverage through New York State’s exchange. More than 9,000 people enrolled on the final day of enrollment, February 15^th (Although, as previously noted, those who began by the last day will have the rest of the month to finish). Over 1.5 million people enrolled in Medicaid, while more than half a million enrolled in private insurance.

An Urban Institute study shows that as of December, nearly half of those uninsured were either completely unaware or knew only a little about the penalty imposed for not getting insurance.

Hillary Clinton and Bill Frist, have teamed up to co-write an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times imploring Congress to continue the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

According to this story, companies are eager to take advantage of the newly regulated medical marijuana industry, and some local governments upstate have shown support in bringing these medical marijuana businesses and the jobs they promise.