- Consumers who want their health insurance to start on Jan. 1, 2018 must sign up for coverage by Dec. 15
- While the federal deadline for open enrollment is Dec. 15, Covered California’s open enrollment period runs through Jan. 31, 2018.
- Based on first month’s enrollment, most consumers are paying less for coverage.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Covered California on Tuesday joined with leaders of the Asian-American community to promote enrollment in health insurance and alert uninsured consumers about a key deadline that is approaching. While Covered California’s open enrollment period runs through Jan. 31, consumers must sign up by Dec. 15 if they want their coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2018.
“Covered California is teaming up with leaders of Asian-American communities to make sure that we reach out to everyone who is eligible for coverage,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “We want to make sure that consumers know they need to sign up by Dec. 15 if they want their health care coverage to start at the beginning of the year.”
Covered California will take part in a press conference with Chinese and Korean leaders at Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles, and then meet with Vietnamese leaders in Orange County.
The most recent enrollment data shows 240,000 Asian-Americans have enrolled in a health plan through Covered California, with more than 79,000 living in Los Angeles County.
“Every community in California can benefit from health care coverage that provides peace of mind, security and access to the best doctors and facilities in the state,” Lee said.
Covered California has built an extensive network of Asian-language resources, including online resources available in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Lao, Tagalog and Hmong. These can be found by visiting www.CoveredCA.com and scrolling to the bottom of the page or by clicking below:
- Chinese: https://www.coveredca.com/chinese/
- Hmong: https://www.coveredca.com/hmong/
- Korean: https://www.coveredca.com/korean/
- Lao: https://www.coveredca.com/lao/
- Tagalog: https://www.coveredca.com/tagalog/
- Vietnamese: https://www.coveredca.com/vietnamese/
Covered California’s events come on the heels of a recent Covered California analysis that found that the net monthly premiums for enrollees who receive financial help are on average 10 percent less than what new and renewing consumers paid last year. The lower prices are a result of more financial help being available for consumers who qualify for assistance. The Affordable Care Act is designed to protect consumers by providing more premium tax credits when premiums rise.
“With the Dec. 15 deadline coming up, we want to make sure that consumers know about the increased financial help that is available to help bring health coverage within reach,” Lee said. Covered
California also wants consumers to know that while the enrollment deadline for most states is Dec. 15, Californians will have through Jan. 31, 2018 to explore their options and select a plan that best fits their needs.
Since 2014, more than 3 million people have purchased health insurance through Covered California, and nearly 4 million have enrolled in the state’s Medi-Cal program. Together, the gains have cut the rate of the uninsured in California by more than half.
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.
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.
