Under the ACA, each state is supposed to create and manage a medical insurance marketplace where people who aren’t covered by insurance can buy plans. Delaware’s Health Insurance Marketplace website went live this AM — although the details of the exchange and the insurance options on offer are not yet available. I’m mildly surprised that California and NY got theirs up earlier — I had thought at one time that Delaware was pretty far ahead of the planning curve for planning and implementing this. Which is probably a misconception on my part.
The DHSS has selected 4 organizations throughout the state to help with outreach and to help with enrollment in an effort to reach as many people as possible and to make the process easier:
The guides, she said, will exist to help people navigate the marketplace, learn what health reform is all about and define what the marketplace can do.
“It is critically important we have boots on the ground,” she said.
Delaware anticipates serving up to 35,000 people through the marketplace. There are 90,000 uninsured Delawareans currently. As many as 30,000 additional Delawareans will gain access to health care through the state’s expansion of Medicaid, which begins on January 1 2014.
Plans under review include:
Medical plans through Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Coventry Health Care and Coventry Health and Life are all under review by the state. Stand-alone dental plans will also be available on the marketplace and all must include pediatric dental coverage. These include: Delta, Dentegra, Dominion and Guardian.
No word yet as to pricing on these plans, which will include Bronze, Silver and Gold plans. I wouldn’t expect to see the kind of dramatic cost reductions as we’ve sen in the news from places like NY and CA, if anything because our customer base is smaller and perhaps not eligible for the kind of volume reductions seen elsewhere. But I hope I’m wrong about that.
Will any of you be getting health insurance from this exchange? What do you think of this, if so?