New employees have 30 days to join a health insurance plan on their own or through a spouse or an employer. The federal website went down during the government shutdown and reopened this week. The 30-day grace period began Saturday. Most people will not pay a penalty if they’re uninsured for a few months this year because there was no health care exchange set up in Arizona. People can still choose not to sign up for coverage, though, and later decide to buy it during an open enrollment period in November through mid-February. Federal financial help is available in the form of subsidies for people who qualify. Depending on income, applicants can qualify for financial assistance with premiums, with cost-sharing fees or both. Individuals with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $11,490 to $47,100 for a family of three, qualify for help paying premiums. People earning more than 400 percent of poverty, or about $47,100 for a family of three, qualify for help with cost-sharing payments, which are fixed charges individuals must pay even if they don’t have any health care expenses. In Arizona, premiums are capped at four times the cost of a silver level plan — about $475 per month for a 40-year-old nonsmoker and $625 for a 50-year-old nonsmoker. Those prices go up after that cap. But out-of-pocket costs are capped at $2,085 per year. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that 7.5 percent of Arizonans will be uninsured this year, and 30 percent of Arizonans making between 100 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level will be uninsured for the entire year because of the lack of an exchange. An estimated 21.4 percent of Arizonans with incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty level are uninsured, and more than 40 percent of those making between 100 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level are uninsured. In Arizona, the Kaiser Family Foundation says, only about 25 percent of people are eligible for subsidies if they buy coverage on their own. Those who make between 100 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for tax credits, but not subsidies. That’s because there is not yet a way to help people buy coverage on the individual marketplace. That means some people will pay premiums even though they won’t use any health care services because they aren’t eligible for a subsidy. The federal exchange was supposed to have been fully functional by January, but website glitches prevented many people from signing up. That has prompted Arizona to extend the enrollment period. The Obama administration has taken a hands-off approach to states’ decisions whether to use the federal exchange or one run by the state. The health care law doesn’t apply to people who are incarcerated in jail or prison, in state or federal custody, or on probation or parole. Those people can still sign up for the federal exchange. If people think they are eligible for Medicaid, they can also sign up for that in October. Many people with low incomes could qualify for both programs. Gov. Jan Brewer said the expansion of Medicaid eligibility through the Affordable Care Act will be costly for the state. She said officials must balance Medicaid costs against the state’s current financial situation. On Thursday, she said Medicaid expansion would be a "tremendous burden" on Arizonans. Arizona Medicaid enrollees earn about $19,000 a year on average, according to a study conducted by the state's Health Care Cost Containment System. The report says families who get Medicaid often use more medical care than other Arizonans. Reach health care reporter Amy Edelen at 602-444-8072 or email her at aedelen@republicmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @aedelen. Reach health care reporter Amy Edelen at 602-444-8072 or email her at aedelen@republicmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyEdelen. READ MORE: Arizona Medicaid enrollment up nearly 38 percent since Obamacare passed HOW TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE IN ARIZONA: