NEED HEALTHCARE? OR RENEWAL OF YOUR COVERED CA PLAN? OPEN ENROLLMENT RUNS NOW THROUGH FEB. 15

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East County News Service

November 28, 2014 (San Diego)—If you need healthcare, the open enrollment period for Covered California, our state’s insurance exchanges under the Affordable Healthcare Act or Obamacare, runs from now through February 15.  For the first time, people who fail to have any health insurance will be subject to financial penalties that will rise over time.

Enrollment is off to a brisk beginning during the current sign-up period.  Covered California and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced that 69,245 consumers submitted applications for health coverage, including Medi-Cal, during the first four days of the 2015 open-enrollment period.





“We had a strong start when we opened Saturday for Covered California, and we are continuing to see tremendous interest from people seeking security for themselves and their families in both Covered California plans and Medi-Cal coverage,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said.

Covered California anticipates a total enrollment of 1.7 million Californians — excluding Medi-Cal enrollees — by the end of the second open-enrollment period: 1.5 million in subsidized coverage and 230,000 in unsubsidized coverage. This forecast represents an increase of about 500,000 in total enrollment.



“We’re throwing open the doors to health care for millions of Californians, many of whom have not been insured for years — and in some cases never,” Lee said

A study commissioned by the Council of Community Clinics  has found that Obamacare has cut the number of uninsured people in San Diego County from 500,000 to 275,000.  The percentage of people with no health insurance countywide is now 14 percent, down from 22 percent before the Affordable Healthcare Act rolled out, Times of San Diego reports.

Those without health insurance include undocumented immigrants who aren’t eligible, as well as others who may not be aware that subsidies are available on a sliding scale based on income and family size.

 You can apply online through Covered California, the online marketplace implementing Obamacare in California.


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