More than half of the 25,036 Delawareans who signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment period were new enrollees.
The numbers released Tuesday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services also show that 83 percent of those who enrolled or re-enrolled for Marketplace insurance through February 22 were eligible for an average subsidy of $264 a month toward premiums. 45 percent of Delawareans enrolled paid less than $100 or less after the subsidies were applied.
First State residents could lose those subsidies pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of King v. Burwell. The case calls into question whether subsidies are eligible in states that have not set up their own healthcare exchanges: Delaware Marketplace system is run in conjunction by both the state and federal governments, making its fate unclear if the court sided with the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell.
HHS also reported that 36 percent of those who signed up for insurance this time around were under 35. That’s up one percentage point from the end of the 2014 open enrollment period. 23 percent were from the sought after 18-34 demographic, the so-called “young invincibles.”
The total amount of enrollees in Delaware is up 74 percent compared to the first open enrollment period, when 14, 397 residents signed up for insurance in Delaware’s Marketplace.
“I am very pleased that so many Delawareans are finding coverage that meets their health needs and their budget,” state health Secretary Landgraf said in a statement. “These numbers show that when it comes to broadening access to quality care for all residents, regardless of gender, income level, pre-existing conditions or other previous barriers, the Affordable Care Act is working.”
Nearly 11.7 Americans nationwide enrolled or re-enrolled for insurance under the Affordable Care Act during the second open enrollment period.
