Service Center Received More Than 120,000 Calls in the Last Three Days
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
— Covered California announced that a surge of consumers interested in
affordable, quality health care coverage had signed up through the agency this
week. Through Jan. 27, more than 329,000 new enrollees had picked a health
coverage plan during the current open-enrollment period. In addition, more than
148,000 new and renewing consumers had enrolled in the new optional family
dental coverage.
“If you haven’t looked at your new coverage options,
you’ve still got time to get covered,"
said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “Don’t gamble with
your health or your financial future. Enroll now and protect yourself from
medical bills that can cost you tens of thousands of dollars if you get sick or
injured.”The agency also revealed that consumers had placed more than 120,000 calls to Covered California’s Service Center over the last three days, with wait times averaging less than three minutes.
Lee said Covered
California has hundreds of Service Center representatives, and tens of
thousands of Certified Insurance Agents and other certified enrollers ready to
assist consumers over the phone or in person.
Covered
California’s announcement comes one day after President Barack Obama urged
uninsured Californians to take action now and enroll in a health care plan before
the upcoming Jan. 31 deadline.
“Heaven forbid you get a serious illness or there’s a
traffic accident in the family. You can lose your house. You can lose
everything you've worked for,” Obama said. “Right now, in California, you can
get health care that is high quality for less than the price of your cellphone
bill.”
Obama made the comments while discussing the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act with television reporters from KABC in Los
Angeles and KPIX in San Francisco, saying health insurance offers Californians
protection and peace of mind.
“If you get sick, if you get … in a serious accident, you
want that financial security,” Obama said.
Consumers can sign up in a variety of ways, including
enrolling online at www.CoveredCA.com, calling (800) 300-1506 to enroll over the
phone and finding in-person help in their communities. In-person enrollment
assistance is free, confidential and offered in a variety of languages. Help can
be found by visiting www.CoveredCA.com/get-help/local
and searching by ZIP code.
In addition, Covered California previously announced that more
than 500 enrollment events were planned across the state for the final month of
open enrollment.
The Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to have
health insurance or pay a penalty known as the “shared responsibility payment.”
The payment is calculated two different ways, and uninsured consumers will pay
whichever amount is higher. The first calculation is 2.5 percent of your
household income, with a maximum of the total yearly premium for the national
average Bronze plan premium. The second calculation is $695 per adult plus
$347.50 per child under the age of 18, with a maximum of $2,085.
Nearly nine out of every 10 Covered California enrollees
receive some level of financial assistance. At least 670,000 enrollees paid $100
a month or less for their coverage in 2015, and 350,000 enrollees paid $50 or
less per month. Consumers can easily find out if they qualify for financial
assistance by using Covered California’s Shop and Compare Tool at www.CoveredCA.com/shopandcompare/2016/.
Open enrollment runs through Jan. 31. Consumers will only
be allowed to sign up after that time if they have a life-changing event
such as getting married, having a child or moving. Medi-Cal enrollment is
year-round.
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.