SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California™ and the California Department of Health Care
Services (DHCS) announced today that from Oct. 1, 2013, to Jan. 31, 2014, under
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 51,524 consumers in nine
Central Valley counties enrolled in subsidized and non-subsidized Covered
California health insurance plans. The new total represents a 56 percent
increase from the 33,133 enrollments recorded through Dec. 31, 2013.
The Central Valley
counties of San Joaquin, Kern, Stanislaus, Merced, Mariposa, Tulare, Fresno,
Kings and Madera represent about 7 percent of the statewide enrollment thus far.
The local total includes 46,908 consumers eligible for financial subsidies. These
counties encompass Covered California pricing regions 10, 11 and 14.
The improving pace of enrollments in the Central Valley is due in part to
enhanced aspects of Covered California’s customer service. The agency has
increased staff to answer consumer calls, added phone lines, improved its
website efficiency, expanded its live Web chat function and upgraded its
Spanish-language Web pages.
Covered California
recently launched a targeted, grassroots, on-the-ground strategy in
collaboration with its community partners to create face-to-face opportunities
for enrollment, particularly in Latino communities in the Central Valley and
the San Joaquin Valley (Stockton/Modesto and Fresno/Bakersfield).
Since December, the exchange has nearly doubled its advertising campaign
targeting Spanish- and English-speaking Latinos, improved its Spanish-language
website and informational materials, and increased the number of bilingual
Certified Enrollment Counselors and Service Center representatives.
For the four-month period, which is two-thirds of the
open-enrollment period for 2014 coverage, 728,410 consumers enrolled in plans
statewide.
Tables and graphics showing enrollment by metal tier and
health insurance plan in each region are available online at www.CoveredCA.com/news/PDFs/JanRegionalEnrollmentTables.pdf and www.CoveredCA.com/news/PDFs/jan-regionals.pdf.
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 helps individuals determine whether they
are eligible for premium assistance that is 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 can
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.
About the Department of Health Care Services
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) works to
preserve and improve the physical and mental health of all Californians. DHCS
provides health care services for approximately 9.4 million Californians
through Medi-Cal, including medical, dental, mental health, substance use
treatment services and long-term services and supports. This is accomplished
through an investment of approximately $70 billion annually in public funds for
the care of low-income families, children, pregnant women, seniors and persons
with disabilities. DHCS focuses on delivering quality, effective services
primarily through coordinated systems of care provided by 21 Medi-Cal managed care
plans located in all of California’s 58 counties. For more information about
DHCS, please visit www.dhcs.ca.gov.
