Senator Carper Highlights Open Enrollment for the Health Care Marketplace

WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) reminded Delawareans that open enrollment for the online healthcare marketplace begins on Oct. 1, 2013. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Carper played a key role in crafting the Affordable Care Act to ensure that all Americans have access to life saving health care. On Tuesday the online health care marketplace, a central part of the new law, will go live. The online marketplace improves the purchasing power of individuals and small businesses, thereby providing Delawareans with more health care choices and access to more affordable, higher quality care.  Delawareans will, on average, have 19 different plans to choose from in order to match the coverage and financial needs of themselves and their families. More information about open enrollment is available through Senator Carper’s website at Carper.senate.gov/healthcare and through the State of Delaware’s website, ChooseHealthDE.com.

“For too long, Americans have spent more on health care than nearly every other nation, but we have not always gotten better results,” said Sen. Carper. “On Tuesday, enrollment in the health insurance marketplaces will begin – one of the main pieces of the Affordable Care Act – helping to provide more affordable and higher quality health care coverage to over 40 million Americans who otherwise would be uninsured and go without needed health care. Tomorrow, Delawareans and Americans will be able choose the health care coverage that works best for themselves and their families. This is a historic opportunity to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, and to help ensure our country’s health care system will get better outcomes for lower costs.”

Delawareans are encouraged to visit ChooseHealthDE.com to explore the many new health care options. For specific questions about enrollment, call (800) 318-2596 or visit localhelp.healthcare.gov to find an enrollment assistance organization near you. Additionally, Healthcare.gov provides information for all Americans on how to sign up and links directly to the health care marketplace.