The First-of-Its-Kind Center Establishes Regular Hours
DuringOpen Enrollment and Houses Certified Enrollers, Health Insurance Companies and Covered California Under One Roof
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California, its community
partners and several insurance companies operating in the agency’s exchange are
hosting the opening of a comprehensive enrollment center in Hawthorne where Los
Angeles-area consumers can immediately enroll for health coverage.
The center, inside the Hawthorne Memorial Center at 3901 West El Segundo Blvd., is the
first of its kind in establishing regular hours, having prominent signage and
having health insurance companies on site to provide information about
benefits.
The Covered California Enrollment Center brings certified enrollers,
health insurance companies and Covered California together in one location to
make enrollment as smooth as possible for the consumer by offering face-to-face,
one-on-one enrollment processing. Certified Plan-Based Enrollers, Certified
Enrollment Counselors and Certified Insurance Agents will be on hand throughout
open enrollment to answer questions about benefits, types of plans, provider networks
and costs. Additional literature and information will be available for
consumers to take with them.
“This center will
provide consumers with visible, convenient and consistent access to enrollment
support in Covered California qualified health plans,” said Covered California Director of Outreach and Sales Kirk Whelan. “It will help us reach and enroll
important segments of the population that remain uninsured, bringing them
health care they need and deserve. The cities of Torrance, Gardena, Inglewood, Carson
and Hawthorne are target markets.”
This Covered California Enrollment Center was placed in
the southern part of Los Angeles County because Covered California’s “hot spot”
maps identified several of its communities as having higher numbers of
remaining uninsured and subsidy-eligible consumers — particularly African-Americans
and Latinos.
The enrollment center is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday
through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays through Jan. 31, when open
enrollment ends.
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
