Data from Kaiser Hospitals
Across the State Show How Covered California Members Are Getting Critical Care
at the Right Places at the Right Time
OAKLAND, Calif. — Covered California’s 38-stop bus tour reached
the Bay Area on Friday, stopping at Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center
to spotlight the historic third open-enrollment period and the care that’s been
received by Covered California members in the Oakland area and across the state.
“The care provided here at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland
Medical Center, and at all of Kaiser Permanente’s hospitals across the state,
has truly changed the lives of thousands of our Covered California members,”
said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “We want to make sure
everyone gets covered, so that they, too, can have access to top-notch
facilities across the state.”
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 Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center, 19,591 Covered
California members have received care, including:
- 53,350 incidents of general outpatient care.
- 2,039 treatments for broken bones and trauma.
- 254 incidents of care for pneumonia, heart attacks, strokes and kidney infections.
- 160 incidents of maternal health and childbirth.
- 63 incidents of pediatric care (including in neonatal intensive care units).
- 23 incidents of gastrointestinal and urological surgeries and Rx.
“Here at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, we know how
important it is to have health care coverage, because we see the results every
day,” said Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente East
Bay Mark Fratzke. “We want to remind everyone not covered today to explore
what’s available to you and your families.”
Dr. John Loftus, the
physician-in-chief at Oakland Medical Center, pointed out that health coverage
is also about the health of communities.
“Kaiser Permanente
strives to provide not only expert medicine combined with ease and convenience,
but we want everyone in the communities we serve to be healthy,” Loftus said. “Covered
California members who have chosen Kaiser Permanente represent more than just
numbers to us. They are our neighbors, our friends and our families. Our team
of health care providers are here for all of them. We are providing important
preventive care, such as cancer screening, and taking care of everything from minor
bumps and bruises to serious diagnoses requiring specialty 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 115,000 in the greater Bay Area within
Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
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. Open enrollment for 2016
coverage began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31.
More information on the Covered California patient data
from Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center is at www.CoveredCA.com/news/PDFs/kp-oakland-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.
