Insurance enrollment deadline is Friday

Dover, DE – The open enrollment period for obtaining health insurance through Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace ends on January 31, but, if  you want health insurance coverage to begin on February 1, you’ll need to enroll in a plan by Friday. If you enroll in a plan between Saturday and January 31, your health insurance will not take effect until March 1, 2016.

Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart said eight out of ten people who enrolled in Delaware received help paying for their insurance. To determine whether you qualify for financial assistance, go to www.healthcare.gov.

If you don’t have health insurance coverage in 2016 you’ll risk having to pay a federal fee at tax time. You’ll pay a penalty of either 2.5 percent of your income, or $695 per adult— whichever is higher. You pay the fee when you file your federal tax return for the year you don’t have coverage.

After January 31,  you can’t buy a marketplace health insurance plan for the rest of 2016 unless you have a specific life change — like having a baby, getting married, or losing other health coverage — that qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period.

Consumers can find more details about the s plans and the premiums and deductibles and potential premium subsidies they may be eligible for at www.healthcare.gov.

If you need additional help choosing a plan, there are free and local assistance available across the state to help answer your questions. Find their contact information at www.choosehealthde.com.

Stewart also reminds you that scam artists are active as enrollment deadlines approach, so be cautious if you purchase a health plan through a site other
than www.choosehealthde.com or www.healthcare.gov. Other websites may offer plans that don’t contain the coverage benefits available through the Affordable Care Act.

Small businesses can apply for SHOP coverage for their employees any time, all year. Go to https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/employers/