The deadline to sign up for health insurance on the federal marketplace for this spring is Sunday night -- and state officials are making a final push to get more uninsured Delawareans enrolled.
They gathered at Westside Family Healthcare in Dover Monday to remind folks of tax credits they can get if they enroll, and penalties they'll face if they don't -- $695 per uninsured, eligible adult this year.
Sen. Tom Carper (D) compared it to investing ahead of time in protecting Delaware's beaches from erosion. He'd just returned from a visit to Rehoboth's boardwalk after the weekend's winter storm, where he says prior investment in building up dunes "paid off over the weekend big-time."
"It took some investment up front, but the people who live down there are better off because of it," he said. "And the cost of [health care] coverage -- it costs a little bit of money up front, but with the help of the tax credit, that cost is reduced a whole lot. I think this is an investment that's well worth making."
Delawareans can choose from 29 plans, and around 80 percent of people are eligible for subsidies. The state says that seven in 10 people will be able to get care for $75 per month this year.
State Health & Human Services secretary Rita Landgraf says they know some first-time enrollees are concerned about high premiums, and she says her office is working to bring those down.
For now, she says they're emphasizing one message: "Health insurance is the way to protect yourself and your family."
They're also reminding new enrollees to beware of phone and web scams that can crop up in the final week of sign-ups. State Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart says no one will ever contact you by phone asking for money or peddling insurance, and the most trustworthy sites are the state's and federal government's.
The state works with federally qualified clinics like Westside to help people navigate the healthcare.gov system, especially in places with high numbers of unenrolled people or non-English speakers -- like Dover.
Westside CEO Lolita Lopez says they've visited libraries, laundromats and dollar stores trying to reach people who might not be covered.
"It's very hard, and most of the work for the folks who haven't had insurance is understanding insurance -- not only the importance of it, but how to use it, what it's for, what will be covered," she says. "So there's lots and lots of questions that people start to go on a website, for example, and find it kind of overwhelming."
The state has enrolled or re-enrolled 26,000 Delawareans so far this winter, with an extra push to get young people and Latinos signed up. Marketing for that campaign has gone as far as individual door hangers.
One person who enrolled in that target millennial demographic was Katelyn Powers. She got help from Westside to enroll in coverage for the first time this winter, after turning 26.
"I was just confused when I went on healthcare.gov -- as to where to start, what I would qualify for, if I'm filling out the information correctly," she says. "So I just wanted some of my questions answered before I just filled out the whole application process and hopefully I get the best plan that's out there for me."
Powers thinks the state and groups like Westside could do even more to reach young people and other underinsured communities, like Latinos, and make sure they understand their options.
She notes that groups like Westside often "wait for them to contact us so we know that they're needing help.
"But I feel like there needs to be a little more outreach saying, 'We're here, come to us, we're a proper avenue for you to get health care coverage,'" she says.
State officials say they'll know how effective their outreach was after enrollment closes Sunday night, Jan. 31, at midnight. It's the third sign-up period since the Affordable Care Act took effect.
