DHSS: 54,000 Del. residents uninsured as open enrollment beg

— it’s crucial for residents without employer-sponsored insurance to take advantage of options to help them pay for private plans through the exchange. 47 a-b-c’s lili zheng joins us live in the studio tonight with more. lili — thanks, david. part of taking advantage of options is knowing what they are to begin with. and while state health officials say — they’ve made significant strides since their first enrollment period — there are several thousand delawareans still uninsured. track 1 bridging the gap — for 54-thousand delaware residents without health insurance. that’s the goal — the delaware department of health and social services says they have — as the open enrollment period begins. 02:21:40 it represents approximately 6 percent of the overall delaware population 44 track 2 rita landgraf — secretary of d-h-s-s – says roughly 28-thousand residents are enrolled through delaware’s health insurance marketplace. but — delawareans are facing another steep increase in prices. this includes — an average rate increase of 32-point-5 percent in the individual market for highmark blue cross blue shield of delaware — which has the biggest individual market share in delaware. however — landgraf explains — there are options. 02:22:32 for about 82 percent of delawareans who purchase insurance off of the marketplace, they’re eligible for the tax credits so with the tax credit, that actually brings down their premiums 42 and i think roughly, the amount of premium is about 150 dollars per month for their premiums 49 track 3 as for the remaining 18 percent who are not eligible for tax credits — landgraf says it all depends on their income — with 20 plans to shop around in the marketplace. end now if people can afford coverage — but choose not to purchase — they will be subject to penalty fees. in delaware — it’s either two-point-five percent of an annual household income or six-hundred and ninety-five dollars per person — whichever is higher. there’s also a penalty of three-hundred forty-seven dollars and fifty cents per child under eighteen. plus — the total of cost of actual health expenses they’ll owe. so — health officials say — it’s really a gamble to not purchase. 02:28:23 here’s what i also like to remind the public, you can choose and pay the penalty but then if you become ill or involved in an accident or have an injury then you will be responsible for all of those healthcare costs without the benefit of insurance 39 in addition to the marketplace — some delaware residents may be eligible for coverage through the state’s medicaid program. which — we’re told more than ten-thousand residents have received coverage through. david — alright, thanks lili. now the open enrollment period lasts from today – through january 31st — but if you want the coverage to kick in on january 1st — you must sign up by december 15th. now again — there are twenty plans to choose from on delaware’s marketplace. you can find the find the full list — on our website — 47 a-b-c dot com. and now