Health insurance enrollment deadline is Dec. 15 in Delaware

By Tim Mastro
Posted 12/9/21

DOVER — Those who do not have health insurance through an employer must enroll by Dec. 15 for coverage to begin Jan. 1.

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Health insurance enrollment deadline is Dec. 15 in Delaware

Posted

DOVER — Those who do not have health insurance through an employer must enroll by Dec. 15 for coverage to begin Jan. 1.

Individuals who don’t act by that date cannot get 2022 coverage unless they qualify for a special enrollment period based on circumstances like the loss of qualifying health coverage, change of income, birth or adoption of a child, a permanent move, marriage or divorce.

Applications for health insurance can be filled out here. For more information on Delaware’s marketplace, visit this site.

Choose Health Delaware is the state’s free program to help individuals and businesses learn more about the low-cost, high-quality health coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Individuals can see what the state’s partner health insurance company, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware, can offer and ways to lower costs.

Enrollees can choose from more than 10 Highmark plans for 2022, or they will be re-enrolled automatically in a plan similar to their current one.

Plans on the marketplace are spread among bronze, silver, gold and platinum and are based on how enrollees choose to split the costs of care with their insurance companies. Bronze plans have low monthly premiums but high costs when care is needed, while gold plans have high premiums but lower costs when care is needed. In a silver plan, the insurer pays about 70% of medical costs, and the consumer pays about 30%.

Platinum plans usually have the highest monthly premiums of any category but pay the most when the consumer gets medical care. They may work well for those who expect to use a great deal of health care and would rather pay a higher premium, while knowing nearly all other costs are covered.

Delawareans who pick silver plans also might qualify for additional savings through discounts on deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance.

Catastrophic plans are also available to some. They have low monthly premiums and very high deductibles to protect against worst-case scenarios, like getting seriously sick or injured.

Highmark offered 12 plans in 2021 — three gold, three silver, three bronze, two platinum and one catastrophic.

All plans offer essential health benefits, such as coverage of preexisting medical conditions, outpatient care (including telehealth), emergency services, hospitalizations, prescription drugs, mental health and substance-use disorder care, lab services and pediatric care.

To speed up the enrollment process, Delawareans should have the birth dates and Social Security numbers of those applying for coverage, as well as pay stubs, W-2 forms or other information detailing income, policy or member numbers for any current health insurance plans, information about any health insurance available through a job and login and account information for those who have previously enrolled on the Health Insurance Marketplace.

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