Deadline to Enroll in Affordable, Quality Health Care Is Feb.
15
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — With just 10 days left until the close of open enrollment, Covered
California Executive Director Peter V. Lee and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins appeared
in San Diego Friday to promote enrollment and highlight ways that health
insurance is improving the health and well-being of Californians.
“We’re
traveling across the state to make sure everyone knows that the deadline to
enroll for coverage is only 10 days away,” Lee said.
Lee
and Atkins appeared in San Diego at the UC San Diego Medical Center in
Hillcrest.
Atkins,
D-San Diego, said, “UC San Diego — and the San Diego region — are leaders in
developing effective medical treatments. But the best treatment in the world won’t
matter if someone doesn’t have access to health care. We are doing everything
we can, not only in San Diego, but across the state, to make sure people know
that they have until Feb. 15 to sign up for affordable, quality health care.”
As
Covered California continues its second historic year, people are coming
forward to share how their lives have been changed by getting insurance. A new
series of videos now airing on social media tells of enrollees who got access
to care that saved their lives, improved care for their children and caught
cancer through preventive screenings.
“The
scope of change underway in our health care system is dramatic, and it is
affecting people in powerful ways,” Lee said. “All over the state, I am meeting
people who tell me extraordinary stories about how coverage resulted in them
getting life-changing and life-saving care.”
Lee
said Covered California estimates based on data from the California Department
of Public Health, the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.CoveredCA.com/news/PDFs/impact-of-health-coverage-fact-sheet.pdf) indicate that insurance
coverage is helping improve care for a number of prominent health conditions,
including asthma and diabetes.
Specifically:
- An estimated 8,700 more Californians will have access to care to better control their asthma.
- An estimated 45,064 Californians will be diagnosed with diabetes and could begin treatment.
- An estimated 63,922 Californians with diabetes will be able to increase their medication to control the disease.
- An estimated 36,527 Californians will avoid catastrophic medical expenses.
While
the estimates show promise, Lee said data from actual health care usage by
Covered California enrollees will offer a more precise picture in the years
ahead.
Lee
said Covered California will soon engage analytics experts to learn more about the
extent to which people with chronic conditions are getting the right care at
the right time, to what extent people are using the free preventive services
available under the Affordable Care Act and whether early intervention is working
to help people avoid the worst effects of cancer and other life-threatening
health conditions.
“The
Affordable Care Act was designed not just to make health coverage more
affordable, but also to improve the quality of care and ensure the right care
at the right time for the best health outcomes,” Lee said.
On
Friday, appearing at a press conference with San Diego County Health and Human
Services Agency Director Nick Macchione and enrollees from San Diego, Lee
applauded Covered California Certified Enrollment Counselors, Certified Insurance
Agents and county eligibility workers in San Diego County for their good work
getting people enrolled.
Lee
said more than 28,000 San Diegans had enrolled between Nov. 15 and Feb. 2, and
an additional 30,300 people enrolled in Medi-Cal through the end of December.
Statewide enrollment data by county
for all California counties is contained in the table on the next pages.
County
|
Open Enrollment in 2014
(plan selections through March 31,
2014)
|
New Enrollment in 2015
(plan selections through Feb. 2, 2015) |
||
Enrollees
|
% of Total Enrollment
|
Enrollees
|
% of Total Enrollment
|
|
Alameda
|
65,171
|
4.7%
|
13,266
|
4.6%
|
Alpine
|
82
|
0.0%
|
<10
|
0.0%
|
Amador
|
1,224
|
0.1%
|
269
|
0.1%
|
Butte
|
6,799
|
0.5%
|
1,379
|
0.5%
|
Calaveras
|
1,704
|
0.1%
|
330
|
0.1%
|
Colusa
|
995
|
0.1%
|
221
|
0.1%
|
Contra Costa
|
39,349
|
2.8%
|
7,790
|
2.7%
|
Del Norte
|
476
|
0.0%
|
181
|
0.1%
|
El Dorado
|
7,479
|
0.5%
|
1,456
|
0.5%
|
Fresno
|
23,164
|
1.7%
|
4,798
|
1.7%
|
Glenn
|
837
|
0.1%
|
176
|
0.1%
|
Humboldt
|
5,679
|
0.4%
|
1,055
|
0.4%
|
Imperial
|
4,401
|
0.3%
|
1,260
|
0.4%
|
Inyo
|
609
|
0.0%
|
128
|
0.0%
|
Kern
|
18,083
|
1.3%
|
4,287
|
1.5%
|
Kings
|
2,160
|
0.2%
|
508
|
0.2%
|
Lake
|
2,313
|
0.2%
|
499
|
0.2%
|
Lassen
|
414
|
0.0%
|
108
|
0.0%
|
Los Angeles
|
400,889
|
28.7%
|
81,321
|
28.2%
|
Madera
|
3,835
|
0.3%
|
913
|
0.3%
|
Marin
|
13,041
|
0.9%
|
2,349
|
0.8%
|
Mariposa
|
569
|
0.0%
|
131
|
0.0%
|
Mendocino
|
4,526
|
0.3%
|
711
|
0.2%
|
Merced
|
8,403
|
0.6%
|
1,737
|
0.6%
|
Modoc
|
256
|
0.0%
|
57
|
0.0%
|
Mono
|
866
|
0.1%
|
192
|
0.1%
|
Monterey
|
16,523
|
1.2%
|
3,020
|
1.0%
|
Napa
|
5,496
|
0.4%
|
1,067
|
0.4%
|
Nevada
|
6,098
|
0.4%
|
1,145
|
0.4%
|
Orange
|
131,804
|
9.4%
|
27,653
|
9.6%
|
Placer
|
13,048
|
0.9%
|
2,880
|
1.0%
|
Plumas
|
791
|
0.1%
|
148
|
0.1%
|
Riverside
|
69,350
|
5.0%
|
15,029
|
5.2%
|
Sacramento
|
43,796
|
3.1%
|
9,251
|
3.2%
|
San Benito
|
2,121
|
0.2%
|
318
|
0.1%
|
San Bernardino
|
53,623
|
3.8%
|
12,157
|
4.2%
|
San Diego
|
121,900
|
8.7%
|
28,394
|
9.8%
|
San Francisco
|
40,826
|
2.9%
|
7,002
|
2.4%
|
San Joaquin
|
24,202
|
1.7%
|
4,920
|
1.7%
|
San Luis Obispo
|
12,256
|
0.9%
|
2,123
|
0.7%
|
San Mateo
|
26,671
|
1.9%
|
5,081
|
1.8%
|
Santa Barbara
|
16,295
|
1.2%
|
3,096
|
1.1%
|
Santa Clara
|
64,924
|
4.7%
|
13,099
|
4.5%
|
Santa Cruz
|
15,071
|
1.1%
|
2,582
|
0.9%
|
Shasta
|
6,053
|
0.4%
|
1,441
|
0.5%
|
Sierra
|
90
|
0.0%
|
22
|
0.0%
|
Siskiyou
|
1,439
|
0.1%
|
275
|
0.1%
|
Solano
|
11,180
|
0.8%
|
2,583
|
0.9%
|
Sonoma
|
22,364
|
1.6%
|
4,361
|
1.5%
|
Stanislaus
|
18,504
|
1.3%
|
3,556
|
1.2%
|
Sutter
|
3,901
|
0.3%
|
586
|
0.2%
|
Tehama
|
1,723
|
0.1%
|
427
|
0.1%
|
Trinity
|
493
|
0.0%
|
106
|
0.0%
|
Tulare
|
9,832
|
0.7%
|
2,257
|
0.8%
|
Tuolumne
|
2,107
|
0.2%
|
409
|
0.1%
|
Ventura
|
33,234
|
2.4%
|
6,960
|
2.4%
|
Yolo
|
5,217
|
0.4%
|
1,128
|
0.4%
|
Yuba
|
1,666
|
0.1%
|
360
|
0.1%
|
Gabriela
Parra of San Diego is among the newly insured Californians now benefiting from private
coverage for herself and her family. She is one of the recently covered
enrollees appearing in Covered California videos to promote open enrollment.
The video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN6K1zQ_vPU. Before Covered California,
Parra traveled to Tijuana for routine care for her daughter, who has asthma.
“Since
Covered California came into our lives, I don’t have to worry about going to
Tijuana. Now I can stay here. I can go to a doctor a couple of times a week. I
have a $20 copay. I go to the pharmacy, and guess what? I pay $5 for medicine,”
Parra said. “Covered California is a blessing in our lives. That’s a life-changer.”
In
addition, Covered California highlighted one of its new videos featuring Kim
Smith, of Atwater, who wanted a colonoscopy after her husband died of colon
cancer. In the video, Smith said that she was able to get a colonoscopy after
she got insurance through Covered California, and the procedure determined she
did have cancer.
“I
consider myself to be one lucky cancer survivor. Having insurance has
absolutely changed my life. If something happens to me tomorrow, I’m going to
have health care, and I’ll be here for a while,” Smith says in the video, which
can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQiBqtXY04g.
Hundreds
of enrollment events are planned throughout California in the final 10 days of
open enrollment. Consumers can get assistance to enroll from more than 20,000 Certified
Enrollment Counselors and Certified Insurance Agents who can provide free,
confidential help. A list of enrollment locations and events by ZIP code can be
found by visiting CoveredCA.com and clicking “Find Local Help.”
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. 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 about
Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
