Time is running out for uninsured Mississippians who want to their new health plans purchased on the exchange to kick in at the start of the year. MPB Jeffrey Hess reports on some of the people who have been able to purchase new plans.
Mississippians who want their new private-federally subsidized insurance to kick on January first must enroll on the health insurance exchange by Monday.
48-year old Sandra Denton of Flora has been uninsured since 2006 and says during that time she has paid high out of pocket costs or delayed treatment.
"I have problems with my knees. I would have probably had knee surgery if I had the insurance I had in '06," Denton said.
But she is now enrolled in health insurance that she purchased on the health insurance exchange.
Denton's says she will pay a 51-dollars a month with is a much lower than the 400-dollar monthly premium that she would have paid outside the exchange.
"I could have choose less but the reason I chose that particular plan is because all my doctors are in that network and it is zero deductible. So I didn't mind paying the 51-dollars," Denton said.
Premiums on the exchange are lower because the federal government pays a portion of the cost, but the plans are still designed and run by private companies.
24-year old Brittany Myers is an uninsured gas station cashier from Flora....she says she is eager to have the security that health insurance can provide.
"I haven't been to the doctor in a while and I am not insured. So I would love to get check ups and make sure I am alright," Myers said.
Enrollment started slow in Mississippi, just a few hundred people out of an estimated 275-thousand eligible have signed up.
While Monday is the enrollment deadline for plans to start in January, the entire open enrollment period runs through March.
Deadline For Start Of The Year Insurance Approaching
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