WITH NEW COVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES UNDER ACA, DELAWARE'S COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE ACCESS PROGRAM (CHAP) WILL CLOSE

DOVER (Nov. 10, 2014) -

The Affordable Care Act offers opportunities for more Americans than ever to receive comprehensive health insurance. As a result, the Community Healthcare Access Program (CHAP) has fulfilled its original purpose to link low-income people to needed health care services and will close on February 1, 2015, to individuals who are eligible for Medicaid or required by law to purchase health coverage on Delaware's Health Insurance Marketplace.

Managed by Delaware Public Health, CHAP helped low-income Delawareans without health insurance find low-cost health services. To be eligible for CHAP, individual or family income had to be below 200% of the federal poverty level. At the time, there were fewer opportunities to obtain coverage. The Affordable Care Act has changed that.

Now, in Delaware, individuals with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $16,100 a year for an individual) are eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid provides coverage for a comprehensive array of health services at little or no cost.

Delawareans with higher incomes, who are not offered insurance through an employer, can purchase private coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace, which began operating last year. More than 80% of those who have purchased coverage in Delaware have qualified for a federal subsidy to lower the cost.

Individuals can get information about enrolling on the Marketplace or applying for Medicaid at www.choosehealthde.com/Health-Insurance .The portal also includes a directory of Marketplace Guides who help individuals navigate the website, get financial assistance estimates, obtain important information about immigration status and eligibility for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, review plan options, and apply for coverage. Individuals also can go to a Federally Qualified Health Center for assistance. Their locations and contact information is on the website too. Help is also available 24/7 at the Marketplace Call Center at 800-318-2596 or TTY at 855-889-4325.

The CHAP program will evolve, change its name, and focus on those ineligible to purchase health insurance or exempt from the federal insurance coverage mandate. Individuals will be required to provide proof of their ineligibility or exemption. To learn more call the Division of Public Health at 302-744-1040.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, drink almost no sugary beverages.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.