- Consumers now have through midnight on Monday, Dec. 19 to sign up and have their coverage begin starting Jan. 1.
- More than 67,000 new consumers selected a plan during the past four days.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California is extending a key enrollment deadline for coverage starting Jan. 1 in order to align with a new federal announcement made yesterday that extends the deadline for HealthCare.gov states.
Consumers enrolling through Covered California will now have through Monday, Dec. 19 at midnight to sign up for health care coverage that will begin on Jan. 1.
Covered California hopes that by aligning the deadline with HealthCare.gov it will reduce any confusion that consumers may experience after hearing yesterday’s federal announcement, and give consumers the time they need to sign up for coverage.
Over the past four days more than 67,000 new consumers have signed up for health coverage through CoveredCA.com or a certified enroller, including 19,000 on Wednesday and 23,000 on Thursday. By comparison, 62,000 consumers enrolled during the same four-day time period in 2015.
Overall, more than 196,000 consumers have signed up during the current open-enrollment period.
“Many of our insurance agents are saying their stores are full and they’re booked,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “Our responsibility is to keep the doors open as long as we can so that people have health care coverage on January first.”
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Consumers
sign up for health coverage, which will take effect Jan. 1,
at Quote Selection Insurance Services in Huntington Beach. |
Consumers interested in enrolling online can do so on CoveredCA.com. They can also get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, by clicking on “Free Local Help to Enroll.” They can find a nearby enroller or have a certified enroller contact them through the “Help on Demand” feature. Consumers can also enroll over the phone by calling Covered California at (800) 300-1506.
Open enrollment runs through Jan. 31, 2017. Consumers who enroll after the Dec. 19 deadline will have their coverage start on either Feb. 1 or March 1.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.
In addition, small business owners can purchase affordable health insurance for their employees through Covered California for Small Business.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace 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.
