Great news! Earlier today, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina (BCBS-SC) announced that members enrolling in Individual ACA plans effective January 1st, 2016, have an extension to make their initial binder payment! Originally due by January 1st, 2016, this announcement allows Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina members until midnight, January 15th, 2016 to make their first payment. Please note this ONLY applies to Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina.

From the email release:

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BCBS-SC) is offering members a one-time extension to pay their binder payment (i.e. their first premium payment) for January.
Premiums must be paid by midnight on Friday, January 15.

Payment Options
Members who need to make a payment can do so:

Online through My e-Bill.
By calling Marketplace Operations Customer Service at 855-404-6752
In-person at a South Carolina BLUE retail center
Note: We are still experiencing high call volumes on our customer service phone lines. Please encourage your clients to use My e-Bill for payments.

As a reminder, the federal government will impose a tax penalty to most individuals who do not have insurance coverage beginning January 1. If the individual purchases coverage with an effective date of February 1, then the tax penalty will be prorated, so they could still face a fine when filing their 2016 federal taxes.