Four days left to sign up for Jan. 1 Obamacare coverage

Enroll America: Getcoveredamerica.org

Seedco: 1-855-899-6092

Community Health Works: 1-866-988-8246

Health Insurance Marketplace: 1-800-318-2596 or HealthCare.gov

Concerned about how many shopping days you have until Christmas? Here’s a more important deadline for many: You have only four shopping days to buy Obamacare health coverage if you want that insurance to begin Jan. 1.

Dec. 15 marks a key deadline for newcomers to HealthCare.gov and return customers alike. Newcomers to the federal insurance marketplace who wait until Dec. 16 to sign up for a health plan won’t have that new coverage start until Feb. 1. And those who already had marketplace coverage this year will be automatically re-enrolled in the same plans by Dec. 15 unless they take action.

Consumer advocates and federal officials are urging Americans with existing plans to shop on the online marketplace to make sure they are getting the best deal. There are new insurers and plans to choose from, along with different pricing and benefits. Opting for automatic re-enrollment could actually end up costing an individual more.

“I encourage them to go online and see the new plans that are available,” said Dante McKay, director for Georgia of Enroll America. “There are several new plans and an additional four carriers.”

Nearly 317,000 Georgians signed up for health coverage in the marketplace’s first year and tens of thousands more are expected to buy insurance for 2015. The marketplace is aimed mainly at Americans who don’t have insurance through their jobs, such as the self-employed and students. Consumers can also learn through the website whether they qualify for tax credits to help lower premiums or qualify for government insurance, such as Medicaid.

While a penalty will be assessed this year for people who do not have insurance and who do not enroll, that penalty will not go into effect until you have been without insurance for three months. The 2015 penalty — either $325 for an individual or 2 percent of your yearly household income — will be assessed when you file your 2015 federal tax return.

But enrollment advocates and the insurance “navigators” who help people enroll don’t want you to focus on the penalty. They want you to focus on medical coverage. HealthCare.gov is sending email reminders to those who enrolled last year and also calling consumers to remind them. Open enrollment began Nov. 15 and runs through Feb. 15, just half the length of time people had to shop last year.

Nationwide, more than 1.3 million Americans had selected marketplace plans as of Dec. 5, and roughly half of them were returning customers, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Open enrollment’s momentum is building,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a recent statement. “With less than a week left to sign up for coverage that starts Jan. 1, we’re encouraging new and returning consumers to visit HealthCare.gov.”