Delaware continues to see more people enrolling in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
As of January 23rd, more than 26,000 Delawareans signed up or re-enrolled – a six percent increase over last year’s figures.
It’s unknown how many people have paid their monthly premiums yet.
State Health Secretary Rita Landgraf says it’s been a “healthy growth” since federal officials implemented the program in 2014.
“For Delaware, I feel that we’ve had three successful enrollments, along with what we’re seeing with the expanded Medicaid population," Landgraf said.
More than a third of those enrolled are under 35-years-old – a key demographic to bankroll the higher cost of covering older Americans.
70 percent of enrollees are white, with just seven percent Latino. State officials have been heavily marketing their message toward Hispanic communities over the past three years
Those who didn’t meet the January 31st deadline and don’t enroll in an approved health insurance plan in 2016 will either pay 2.5 percent of their household income or $695 as a penalty, whichever is higher.
Final numbers from federal officials will be released in the coming weeks.
