Marketplace guides help patients through health care system changes

With specially trained marketplace guides, Christiana Care is helping many of the nearly 90,000 uninsured Delawareans access both health insurance and health care through the new Health Insurance Marketplace that opens to the public Oct. 1.

September 12, 2013

With specially trained marketplace guides like John Kearney, Christiana Care is helping many of the nearly 90,000 uninsured Delawareans access both health insurance and health care through the new Health Insurance Marketplace that opens to the public Oct. 1.

One of the most significant changes in health care in America starts October 1 when millions throughout the nation will shop for health insurance.

Closer to home here in Delaware, 90,000 people currently uninsured will shop for affordable health insurance through a new virtual exchange called the Health Insurance Marketplace.

“This is a transformative time in health care,” said Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., president and CEO of Christiana Care. “For the first time, many adults and children will have access to primary care and medical homes — getting the care they need, when they need it.”

To help the uninsured navigate the new virtual Health Insurance Marketplace, Christiana Care has hired nine marketplace guides. Christiana Care is the only hospital health system in the region that has been awarded a state contract to hire the marketplace guides.

Trained as health educators, the guides help patients enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace and educate them on how best to manage their health care needs. They serve patients at six Christiana Care locations, including:

Christiana Hospital Emergency Department.
Wilmington Hospital Emergency Department.
Middletown Emergency Department.
Wilmington Hospital Health Center.
Christiana Care Family Medicine Center.

The guides also visit local community centers, health fairs and churches to help the uninsured shop for health insurance.

Christiana Care’s marketplace guides and health coaches will assist the uninsured beginning October 1, the start of open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace. The guides will help people to get the insurance coverage they need and avoid any penalties through the end of March 2014.

“At Christiana Care, our role is to serve our neighbors, and the marketplace guides program gives us the ability to further provide our neighbors with access to health care,” said Janice Nevin, M.D., chief medical officer at Christiana Care. “Helping our most vulnerable patients get health insurance is part of our partnership with our community.”

Christiana Care’s commitment to making quality health care as accessible and affordable as possible starts with our own employees. Christiana Care is dedicated to offering high-quality health insurance for benefits-eligible full-time, part-time and weekend-incentive employees. Through innovative programs and partnerships, ranging from wellness benefits to the new Christiana Care Quality Partners, we offer health care options our employees value.

For more information on marketplace guides and the Health Insurance Marketplace, visit ChooseHealth Delaware.