Data Show How Covered California Members Are Getting the Right Care at the Right Time on the Central Coast
TEMPLETON, Calif. — Covered California’s 38-stop bus tour reached
the Central Coast on Wednesday, putting spotlights on the historic third open-enrollment
period and the care enrollees have received at Twin Cities Community Hospital.
“Our members are the most important part of Covered
California, and the care they receive is of critical importance once they
obtain coverage,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “Having
coverage is a big step, but having access to care at facilities like Twin
Cities Community Hospital is central to what Covered California is doing. While
you never know when an accident or illness might occur, it’s places like this
that make the difference in the lives of their patients.”
Covered California is collecting data from hospitals
statewide about the care being delivered to its members, some of whom have
insurance for the first time as a result of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act.
At Twin Cities Community Hospital, 853 Covered California
members have received care, including:
- 870 incidents of general outpatient care.
- 827 treatments for broken bones and trauma.
- 15 incidents of care for pneumonia, heart attacks, strokes and kidney infections.
- 9 incidents of gastrointestinal and urological surgeries and Rx.
“As a community hospital, our doors are always open — and
open to everyone,” said Twin Cities Community Hospital CEO Mark Lisa. “The
patients we see never know when they will need us, but having insurance is
critically important for not only emergencies, but for ongoing care.”
Covered California is spotlighting enrollment because an
estimated 2.2 million uninsured Californians remain eligible to get help to
make their insurance affordable by enrolling in either Covered California or
Medi-Cal. An estimated 750,000 uninsured Californians could enroll through
Covered California, including about 30,000 in Region 12, which consists of San
Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.
UnitedHealthcare Benefits Plan of California will be joining
Anthem Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California and Kaiser
Permanente in 2016 as an option for consumers in Region 12. UnitedHealthcare is
the largest single health carrier in the United States and offers telehealth
and mobile apps to help its consumers get treatment, manage their health needs,
and get estimates for specific treatments and procedures.
“At Covered California we’re expanding the choices
available, which benefits not only our members, but also those who buy off the exchange
in the individual market,” Lee said. “With Covered California’s purchasing
power and the addition of UnitedHealthcare, it allows for more competition and makes
more choices available to everyone looking for insurance.”
Those who need insurance can go to CoveredCA.com to learn
about their options and find locations in their community where they can get
free, confidential help enrolling.
This year, Covered California has more than 500 storefront
locations statewide where individuals can get help enrolling — twice the number
available at the start of last year’s open enrollment.
Twin Cities Community Hospital currently contracts with Anthem
and Blue Shield and will also contract with UnitedHealthcare for 2016 coverage.
More information on the Covered California patient data
from Twin Cities Community Hospital is at www.CoveredCA.com/news/PDFs/twin-cities-community-delivering-on-the-promise-of-care.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. 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.
