The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Insurance have reached an agreement with four community organizations to provide one-on-one help to Delawareans dealing with the new health insurance marketplace.
The organizations will hire marketplace guides to help individuals learn more about health insurance, and how to be screened and enrolled for insurance through Delaware’s insurance exchange. Enrollment on the marketplace, part of the Affordable Care Act, will begin Oct. 1, with insurance coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2014. The four community organizations, announced at the Delaware Health Care Commission meeting, are:
– Brandywine Womens Health Associates
– Christiana Care
– Delmarva Foundation
– Westside Family Healthcare
The health insurance marketplace will provide online access to private insurance choices for consumers and small business, according to a release.
Some individuals will be eligible for tax credits to help pay for their health insurance. Delaware expects to have as many as 35,000 individuals through the marketplace. About 90,000 Delawareans are currently uninsured.
In a state-federal partnership, Delaware retains controls of plan management, including state requirements for qualified health plans.
The state also controls consumer assistance and outreach, including the marketplace guides. Public decisions and discussions about the marketplace are done at the monthly Delaware Health Care Commission meetings in Dover.
Delaware received a $4 million federal establishment grant to contract with community organizations
