The federal government's Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, the insurance program for sick Americans who've been refused coverage by private carriers, will be extended for at least one more month as the U.S. government continues to fix the health exchange intended as an alternative.

The plan was set to expire on Dec. 31, with the expectation that enrollees would have be then signed up for care plans under the federal government's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

But amid a series of high-profile failures at the launch of the health care act's enrollment period, those Americans categorized as "high-risk" and haven't been able to sign up for coverage through the new healthcare initiative, otherwise known as Obamacare, will be able to stay in the Pre-Exisiting Condition program through the ended of January, according to an email sent out by Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The deadline extension for the some of the country's sickest is the latest in a half-dozen delays in Obamacare provisions ordered by President Obama as a way to give people more time and healthcare enrollment options.

The health exchange and its website, healthcare.gov, have been plagued by software errors and bugs since its Oct. 1 start.

Americans in 36 states using the federal system face a Dec. 23 deadline to sign up for coverage that is on track to go into effect the first day of 2014.

"Extending the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan will give tens of thousands of people with a history of cancer or another serious disease the security of knowing they will not face a costly gap in coverage on Jan. 1 if they cannot enroll in a marketplace plan," Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society's lobbying office, said in a story by Bloomberg.

There are about 85,000 people enrolled in the federal pre-existing program, while an estimated 200,000 are in state-run programs, some of which have also been extended, according to the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans.

Coverage barriers are greatest for those enrolled in the federal pre-existing condition plan and state-run pools for people too sick to obtain private coverage.

"We are taking steps to ensure that Americans enrolled in the federal PCIP insurance plan will not face a lapse when the new year begins," Albright added about the deadline extension. "We are committed to providing consumers additional flexibilities while they evaluate and select a quality, affordable, health plan that meets their needs."

The 2010 Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, prohibits insurers from denying coverage to sick people, beginning in 2014.