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Deadline fast approaching to sign up for 'Obamacare' insurance

The clock is ticking to sign up if you plan to be covered by health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," in 2019.

The deadline is Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

State health officials say more than 200,000 people have signed up so far, and they're expecting to see a surge before the deadline.

This year, Washington allocated some $50 million to the Health Exchange, in part to make the process of getting healthcare easier.

Now applicants can take necessary photos with their smart phones and upload documents to the website's dashboard.

The improvements come as the deadline to enroll is a month earlier than last year.

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"Last year, we found a lot of people calling us after the deadline and wanting to enroll, wanting to change the plans, wanting to do something and we just have to say you missed the deadline, so we are hoping the word get out that the deadline is on December 15 this year,” said Washington Health Exchange Enrollment agent Carol McClure.

In all, seven health insurance carriers are offering 41 different plans this year.

The latest numbers from CBS News show that enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is down about 12 percent nationwide. Some of the reasons cited are that more people are getting coverage through employers and because Congress repealed the mandate that financially penalized people for not having health care.

Visit the Washington Health Plan Finder website to sign up or call 1-855-WAfinder  (-855-923-4633).  If you would like in-person help, you can find walk-in storefronts here.