Open enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, ends this week.

Enrollment Virginia, a nonprofit that helps people sign up, noted that applications must be filed by midnight Friday, Dec. 15.

This is less time than last year because of President Trump’s action to reduce the sign-up period.

Open enrollment is the only time most consumers can purchase individual health insurance through the health insurance marketplace, the group noted. Coverage will start on Jan. 1.

Jill Hanken, director of Enroll Virginia that has certified navigators to aid consumers, urged people to act before the opportunity disappears.

“It’s crunch time,” she said.

Enrollment has been robust. Federal data show that from Nov. 1 to Dec. 2, 156,195 Virginia households selected health insurance plans. The figure does not reflect the number of individuals or the number of households that have renewed health insurance policies they had last year.

In 2017, more than 364,600 Virginians secured health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Ms. Hanken noted that all localities in Virginia have at least one insurer offering multiple plans.

Subsidies are available for those who qualify, Ms. Hanken said.

“About 80 percent of Virginia consumers will qualify for tax credits to reduce premium costs, and people with incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty line ($30,150 per year for an individual and $51,050 per year for a family of three) can also purchase plans with lower deductibles and co-payments.”

Information: Enroll Virginia, (888) 392-5132 or www.enrollva.org/get-help/; health insurance call center, (800) 318-2596 or (855) 889-4325 for TTY users; or www.healthcare.gov.