By Peter V. Lee
Every day across California, people are making dreams come true. I’m talking about the thousands of insurance agents, county workers, clinicians, members of community groups and the staff at Covered California who have teamed up to educate, teach and enroll people in coverage because of the Affordable Care Act.
News Release
Date Posted
Covered California Releases Statistics for Health Insurance Marketplace for Week Ending Oct. 26
Covered California Releases Weekly Statistics for Health Insurance Marketplace
Covered California™ released updated numbers of consumer interest in the agency’s health insurance marketplace and Medi-Cal, with nearly 500,000 unique visits to its website and more than 45,000 calls to its Service Center during the week ending Oct. 19.
Since open enrollment began Oct. 1, consumers have been shopping and comparing among 12 insurers offering health care coverage through Covered California, where consumers also can determine if they are eligible to enroll, eligible for subsidies or eligible for Medi-Cal.
For the first three weeks of open enrollment, more than 2.2 million unique visits were made to www.CoveredCA.com. The Service Center has handled more than 150,000 calls during the same period. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 19, approximately 125,929 applications were started.
Total enrollment for October will be released in November.
[Please note: The enrollment assistance program chart, below, has been updated to reflect revisions to the number of county eligibility workers and the number of insurance agents currently going through the certification process]
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage starting in 2014, Covered California will help individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that will be available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses will be able to purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature. For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Since open enrollment began Oct. 1, consumers have been shopping and comparing among 12 insurers offering health care coverage through Covered California, where consumers also can determine if they are eligible to enroll, eligible for subsidies or eligible for Medi-Cal.
For the first three weeks of open enrollment, more than 2.2 million unique visits were made to www.CoveredCA.com. The Service Center has handled more than 150,000 calls during the same period. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 19, approximately 125,929 applications were started.
Total enrollment for October will be released in November.
[Please note: The enrollment assistance program chart, below, has been updated to reflect revisions to the number of county eligibility workers and the number of insurance agents currently going through the certification process]
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage starting in 2014, Covered California will help individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that will be available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses will be able to purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature. For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Covered California Rolls Out Asian-Language Advertising Campaign
Marketing will inform ethnically diverse Californians about the new health insurance exchange and access to health care coverage
Sacramento, CA - Covered California began its marketing campaign to reach Asian-language consumers statewide through airwaves, billboards, online channels and print media.
The push is designed to get information about the new health insurance marketplace to Asians in their specific languages, using a wide range of media. The effort will complement Covered California’s general advertising campaign that is already serving English-speaking Asian communities.
[additional ads can be seen here]
“California is a large and ethnically diverse state,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee. “Reaching out to communities with culturally sensitive information delivered in their languages will be vital to our mission of expanding health care coverage in this state.”
Projections show that Asians make up 14 percent of Californians eligible for federal subsidies when signing up for health care coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2014. According to census data, half of Asians in Californian speak limited English, prompting a need to communicate with them in their individual languages.
Key markets for Asian-language advertising are Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, San Diego and Fresno.
Asian TV spots began last week in multiple languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. While some radio stations began to run ads about the state health benefit exchange in various Asian languages on Oct. 1, a heightened campaign is now underway with additional radio spots in Khmer and Lao languages.
Covered California advertising in Asian languages will hit billboards and transit shelters in early November, along with posters in key community gathering places.
Chinese online ads have been in the market since September, but those efforts will be expanded to include Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Hmong, Lao and Khmer.
Print ads in Asian languages began earlier this month, in traditional and simplified Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. More print advertising is planned to begin in early November for Filipinos, including Tagalog, English or a combination.
To see the Asian language ads, please visit the news section of www.CoveredCA.com.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage starting in 2014, Covered California will help individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that will be available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses will be able to purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature. For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Sacramento, CA - Covered California began its marketing campaign to reach Asian-language consumers statewide through airwaves, billboards, online channels and print media.
The push is designed to get information about the new health insurance marketplace to Asians in their specific languages, using a wide range of media. The effort will complement Covered California’s general advertising campaign that is already serving English-speaking Asian communities.
[additional ads can be seen here]
“California is a large and ethnically diverse state,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee. “Reaching out to communities with culturally sensitive information delivered in their languages will be vital to our mission of expanding health care coverage in this state.”
Projections show that Asians make up 14 percent of Californians eligible for federal subsidies when signing up for health care coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2014. According to census data, half of Asians in Californian speak limited English, prompting a need to communicate with them in their individual languages.
Key markets for Asian-language advertising are Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, San Diego and Fresno.
Asian TV spots began last week in multiple languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. While some radio stations began to run ads about the state health benefit exchange in various Asian languages on Oct. 1, a heightened campaign is now underway with additional radio spots in Khmer and Lao languages.
Covered California advertising in Asian languages will hit billboards and transit shelters in early November, along with posters in key community gathering places.
Chinese online ads have been in the market since September, but those efforts will be expanded to include Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Hmong, Lao and Khmer.
Print ads in Asian languages began earlier this month, in traditional and simplified Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. More print advertising is planned to begin in early November for Filipinos, including Tagalog, English or a combination.
To see the Asian language ads, please visit the news section of www.CoveredCA.com.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage starting in 2014, Covered California will help individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that will be available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses will be able to purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature. For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Covered California’s Executive Director: Open Enrollment Kicks Off in California
Peter kicks off a Blog that he will regularly update
Covered California opened for business on October 1st, and together with health care marketplaces across the nation launched because of the Affordable Care Act, we ushered in a new era in U.S. history. Think about it, for the first time in our country’s history health care is no longer a privilege, but a right extended to all Americans. That’s an incredible thing to be able to say; it’s an incredible thing to be part of; and it is great that California is taking such a leadership role.
The response to Covered California has been nothing short of phenomenal. When a reporter asked me in September how many people I expected to enroll on the first day, I jokingly answered “two.” Turns out I was off by a little bit.
We had more than 94,000 applications started during our first two weeks. More than 1.5 million people logged on to CoveredCA.com to learn more about opportunities that had never been available to them before, and our Service Centers received more than 104,000 phone calls from interested consumers. That’s undeniable proof of the pent-up demand among Californians for quality, affordable health care. It’s proof that Californians want peace of mind, and want to be a part of history.
While we’re big on numbers, the story is about so much more.
Behind each of those numbers is a person whose life is being changed. People like Aura Lee Sanchez of Sacramento, who has been uninsured for nine months. She had been denied coverage because she has a pre-existing condition. Health care reform has changed that: she will be getting coverage for $550 per month. Although her income means she won’t be receiving premium assistance, she would never have been able to get health insurance if it weren’t for the Affordable Care Act and Covered California.
People like Paul Torrigino, also of Sacramento, who had trouble finding affordable health insurance when he was laid off. Living off a fixed pension he’s been going without health insurance – and being very worried. Thanks to Covered California, Paul purchased a “Bronze Plan” that given the federal premium assistance he will get will cost him $1 a month.
And, it’s about small business owners, like Travis Sanchez who owns and runs a chiropractic clinic in Salinas. With his partners, Dr. Sanchez is excited about the chance to offer his employees coverage through Covered California’s program for small business, while lowering his personal costs based on buying coverage on the individual market. Beyond his interest in covering his business through the SHOP program, Dr. Sanchez is excited about what the Affordable Care Act means for the community he serves – primarily field workers and packing plant employees – the vast majority of whom are lower income and Latino – he told us: “Many of my customers are uninsured or under insured and the ACA and Covered California will provide many of my clients access to affordable insurance.”
Stories like these prove Covered California is changing lives, and this is only the beginning. Open enrollment continues until the end of March of 2014, and many more inspiring stories are still to come.
There is still a lot to be done, but for the largest overhaul of the health care system since Medicare in 1965, we are proud of where we are – standing on the right side of history; and proud be to part of the broad community of Californians who are joining us on this journey.
 |
| Executive Director, Peter V. Lee |
The response to Covered California has been nothing short of phenomenal. When a reporter asked me in September how many people I expected to enroll on the first day, I jokingly answered “two.” Turns out I was off by a little bit.
We had more than 94,000 applications started during our first two weeks. More than 1.5 million people logged on to CoveredCA.com to learn more about opportunities that had never been available to them before, and our Service Centers received more than 104,000 phone calls from interested consumers. That’s undeniable proof of the pent-up demand among Californians for quality, affordable health care. It’s proof that Californians want peace of mind, and want to be a part of history.
While we’re big on numbers, the story is about so much more.
Behind each of those numbers is a person whose life is being changed. People like Aura Lee Sanchez of Sacramento, who has been uninsured for nine months. She had been denied coverage because she has a pre-existing condition. Health care reform has changed that: she will be getting coverage for $550 per month. Although her income means she won’t be receiving premium assistance, she would never have been able to get health insurance if it weren’t for the Affordable Care Act and Covered California.
People like Paul Torrigino, also of Sacramento, who had trouble finding affordable health insurance when he was laid off. Living off a fixed pension he’s been going without health insurance – and being very worried. Thanks to Covered California, Paul purchased a “Bronze Plan” that given the federal premium assistance he will get will cost him $1 a month.
And, it’s about small business owners, like Travis Sanchez who owns and runs a chiropractic clinic in Salinas. With his partners, Dr. Sanchez is excited about the chance to offer his employees coverage through Covered California’s program for small business, while lowering his personal costs based on buying coverage on the individual market. Beyond his interest in covering his business through the SHOP program, Dr. Sanchez is excited about what the Affordable Care Act means for the community he serves – primarily field workers and packing plant employees – the vast majority of whom are lower income and Latino – he told us: “Many of my customers are uninsured or under insured and the ACA and Covered California will provide many of my clients access to affordable insurance.”
Stories like these prove Covered California is changing lives, and this is only the beginning. Open enrollment continues until the end of March of 2014, and many more inspiring stories are still to come.
There is still a lot to be done, but for the largest overhaul of the health care system since Medicare in 1965, we are proud of where we are – standing on the right side of history; and proud be to part of the broad community of Californians who are joining us on this journey.
Consumer Interest Remains Strong for Health Insurance Offered Through Covered California Marketplace
94,500 Applications Started Since Oct. 1, 2013
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California™ announced continued strong consumer interest in the agency’s health insurance marketplace and Medi-Cal, with more than 600,000 unique visits to its website and more than 45,000 calls to its Service Center during the week ending Oct. 12.
Since open enrollment began Oct. 1, consumers have been shopping
and comparing among 12 insurers offering health care coverage through Covered
California, where consumers also can determine if they are eligible to enroll,
eligible for subsidies or eligible for Medi-Cal.
For the first two weeks of open enrollment, more than 1.5
million unique visits were made to www.CoveredCA.com. The Service Center has
handled more than 100,000 calls during the same period. From Oct. 1 through
Oct. 12, more than approximately 94,500 applications were started.
Total enrollment for October will be released in November.
Consumers Flock to Covered California Website and Service Centers as Open Enrollment Begins
State’s New Health Benefit Exchange Receives Thousands of Calls and Millions of Page Views on Launch Day
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California™ officials are
thrilled with the strong consumer response today, the historic first day that
California consumers have been able to shop for, compare and enroll in
affordable health plans or apply for no-cost or low-cost Medi-Cal through the
state’s new health benefit marketplace.
Calls to Covered California Service Centers and visits to
Covered California Web pages from enthusiastic consumers were extremely high
throughout the day. Some 5 million page views were made to the Covered
California website by 3 p.m. The page views averaged 5,000 per minute and
peaked at 16,000 per minute.
Also by 3 p.m. Covered California had logged in some 17,000
phone calls to its Service Centers.
To ensure that consumers will have positive experiences
going forward, Covered California will take down the enrollment section of its
website from 9 p.m. Tuesday until early Wednesday. This will help optimize
performance for the millions of people expected to log in to use the enrollment
function in future. Other portions of the website will remain accessible.
Covered California Is Open for Business
October 1 Launch Quick Links
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California™, California’s marketplace for health care coverage, opened for business today, providing Californians and small businesses access to quality, affordable health care coverage from major health insurance carriers.
“As of Oct. 1, Covered California is officially open for business — our phone lines are humming, our website is live, and we stand with thousands of Californians across the state as we kick off our effort to help educate and enroll millions of currently uninsured Californians,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee.
Today’s announcement kicks off a six-month open-enrollment period and includes:
- The formal launch of the new features of CoveredCA.com. They will enable consumers to determine their eligibility for premium assistance and no-cost or low-cost Medi-Cal and to shop for, compare and enroll in coverage that takes effect Jan. 1, 2014.
- The statewide rollout of outreach efforts and marketing that will educate consumers about their options and how to enroll.
- Forecasts and background of who Covered California is seeking to enroll. It is estimated that during this initial six-month open-enrollment period (ending March 31, 2014), Covered California will enroll 500,000 to 700,000 Californians who are eligible for premium assistance to make their care more affordable.
- The opening of Covered California’s Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) that will allow employers to start shopping for small-group coverage that can start in January. This SHOP is not subject to the six-month open-enrollment period.
Diana S. Dooley, Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency and chair of the Covered California Board, applauded the launch of Covered California and said, “From Eureka to San Diego, from the Central Valley to the Central Coast, we want Californians to know we are open for business. Californians can now get quality, affordable health care by enrolling in one of the many plans offered under Covered California.” She added, “The Brown administration is proud to be a part of this historic change to make coverage affordable for all Californians.”
By the end of 2014, Covered California aims to have insured approximately 1,050,000 Californians newly enrolled in Medi-Cal and between 840,000 and 1.2 million who qualify for premium assistance to help them pay for a health insurance plan.
Toby Douglas, Director of the California Department of Health Care Services, said, “Today marks the beginning of a reform of California’s health care system, in which many of our most vulnerable and needy residents will have the opportunity to enroll in Medi-Cal. We are excited to be an important part of this historic day, and we are ready to enroll the thousands of newly eligible Californians in partnership with county offices around the state.”
Dr. Robert Ross, President and CEO of The California Endowment and a Covered California Board member, pointed out that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promises more than just affordable coverage. “When we open the doors today in California — and the doors of health care marketplaces open throughout the country — we will be moving away from the political arena and into the implementation of a new program that will literally change the lives, and the health, of millions of Americans. I’m thrilled to be part of history.”
“Here, and in every state in the nation, health care marketplaces are ushering in a new era in U.S. history, one that will provide its citizens with the health care they need, when they need it, through high-quality, affordable insurance. This is truly a historic day,” said Lee. “Health care is no longer a privilege, but a right, and is now within reach for millions of Americans.”
The official launch of Covered California started in Rancho Cordova, where the Service Center kicked off the opening day. That was followed by other events that “covered” the state: a news conference in San Francisco, overlooking the Bay Bridge; an event in the Central Valley at California State University, Fresno, to announce the open-enrollment opportunity to students; an event at a beach in San Diego; and a grand celebration at Los Angeles’ Union Station.
Dooley added, “Our goals are bold, and we won’t get there overnight. Over time, this new state of health will improve health care quality, lower costs of health care, reduce the dramatic health disparities in the state and offer choice and value to Californians. Today is the starting line. By the end of the six-month open-enrollment period, we forecast having more than 1 million Californians enrolled in health coverage with support from premium assistance or Medi-Cal.”
Lee concluded, “The drive toward making health care a right and not a privilege has been a long time in coming. The Affordable Care Act delivers on a long-unmet promise of the American dream. It has survived naysayers, Supreme Court challenges and a great deal of political pressure, but today we put all that behind us. Covered California is open for business, and our success does not depend on what happens in Washington or Sacramento. As we go forward, our success will depend on what happens in communities across California where millions of Californians have been waiting for this day to come, to call, visit CoveredCA.com, ask for help and enroll. Today is the day to ‘get covered.’”
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage starting in 2014, Covered California will help individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that will be available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses will be able to purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature. For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
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