Overnight Healthcare: White House pushes ObamaCare sign-ups ahead of deadline

The Obama administration has another deadline besides a government spending bill this week, and it’s ObamaCare enrollment.

The deadline to sign up for ObamaCare coverage that begins on Jan. 1 is Tuesday, though the final deadline to sign up for coverage next year is not until Jan. 31.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Monday that more people (145,000) are simultaneously shopping on HealthCare.gov than at any time this year or last year.

{mosads}CMS says that, similar to last year, there are so many people applying that some people will be asked to leave their contact information with the call center and will be contacted beginning on Dec. 16 to sign up. Even though they will miss the deadline, CMS says coverage will start Jan. 1 as long as people are in line ahead of Dec. 15.

Obama administration officials have fanned out for interviews and visits around the country ahead of the deadline, and the White House is touting a sign-up contest among 20 cities.

The White House announced on Monday that through the first five weeks of the sign-up period, Milwaukee is in the lead, followed by Detroit and Philadelphia. Read more here.

HERITAGE AGAINST CADDY TAX DELAY: All eyes are still on the big year-end spending and tax bills. While they have not yet been released, Heritage Action on Monday said that it opposes a two-year delay of the Cadillac Tax expected to be in the tax package.

Despite what some Republicans may argue, a delay of the Cadillac tax would not undermine Obamacare, nor would it make full repeal more likely come 2017,” Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham wrote in an op-ed. “If any of those things were a possibility, President Barack Obama would have issued an immediate veto threat.

“Conservatives should therefore be skeptical of any such changes that look to delay bad provisions of Obamacare and aim to move in the opposite direction,” he adds, saying that the goal should be “undermining the law.” Read more here.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD SUES OHIO Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio is suing state health officials over claims made public last week that the abortion provider has improperly disposed of fetal tissue, including in state landfills.

The Ohio Department of Health announced the claims at a press conference last week during which the state cleared Planned Parenthood of accusations made in undercover videos that it had illegally sold fetal tissue.

At the same press conference, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said he would be filing an injunction against Planned Parenthood because he said he found evidence that the group had been illegally disposing of fetal remains in landfills. Read more here.

$1.1 TRILLION DEAL IN SIGHT: Stay tuned for late-night or early-morning updates from The Hill, where we’ll be breaking down the government spending bill.

House aides familiar with the talks said it’s likely the spending legislation will emerge on Tuesday, and Senate leaders expressed a similar optimism on Monday afternoon. Read more here.

ON TAP TOMORROW

Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman speaks at a Politico Money briefing at 8:30 a.m.

The Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research holds a lunchtime briefing on the Cadillac tax.

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Sebelius leads rally for Planned Parenthood (Topeka Capital Journal)

A whole new being: How Kricket Nimmons seized the transgender moment (New York Times)

Rising obesity rates puts strain on nursing homes (New York Times)

IN THE STATES:

A new drug can cure hepatitis C, but Indiana won’t always pay for it under Medicaid (Indy Star)

South Dakota governor tours state to tout Medicaid expansion plan (Argus Leader)

Iowans warned: Medicaid patients may lose doctors (Des Moines Register)

ICYMI FROM THE HILL:

Vulnerable GOP senator: ObamaCare is in ‘death spiral’

Send us your tips and comments – Sarah Ferris, sferris@digital-staging.thehill.com, and Peter Sullivan, psullivan@digital-staging.thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @sarahnferris, @PeterSullivan4