Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Six

It’s the end of the road for the “Covered in Art” kick-off bus tour, but not for Covered California and our partners across the state.

Today we ended this first leg of the open-enrollment bus tour. We finished on a high note with stops in Santa Cruz, Salinas, San Jose and Oakland.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Five

This has been a wild year, with politics in Washington being something of a rollercoaster ride.

But here in California, we’ve been working with our partners to make sure consumers are not on a rollercoaster. Consumers can be confident that with Covered California, they’ll never be taken for a ride. Instead they’ll find improvements, stability, security and access to affordable coverage.

La Familia Counseling Center

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Four

Health care is local.

That sentiment is reflected in each of the murals artists are creating as part of the “Covered in Art” bus tour. Each of the more than a dozen murals will be painted by a local artist. During today’s sojourn through Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno and Modesto, we met two artists who are bringing the importance of health care to light through their creativity.

Ruben Espinoza

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Three

The Covered California bus cut across the Central Coast today, stopping to say hello and thanks to our partners in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield.

We are traveling the state on this bus tour, visiting city after city, to make sure Californians know that despite the headlines and controversy, financial help is still available.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Two

We are on the second day of the open-enrollment bus tour, part of a 22-stop tour making clear to Californians that we are here to stay and that they can get and keep affordable coverage that is changing lives. Today, we visited San Diego, Huntington Beach and Wilmington.

Covered California’s Open-Enrollment Period Kicks Off Nov. 1

Today, Nov. 1, marks the official start of open enrollment in Covered California.

This year’s open-enrollment period is more crucial than ever before. Back and forth in Congress has left many people confused about the future of health insurance marketplaces.

Our Work is Not Yet Done

Covered California helped celebrate the life and legacy of one of my personal heroes, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., this week. Many of you know that, because of King’s fight for justice and equality, I have always thought of his birthday as the best point each year to pause and celebrate the Affordable Care Act. That celebration is about what we are doing at Covered California and across the nation to expand access to health care, and about how that work is making us a better, more just nation.

During this week, King’s legacy reminded me of two important things: We do not walk alone on this incredible history-making journey, and we have more work to do.

Peter’s Blog: The Arc Bends Toward Justice

Every day, I think about the historic nature of change that Covered California is a part of, how it does not take place overnight and how it is the product of the work of thousands of people in California and across the nation.

Peter’s Blog: The Journey Continues

The trip may be over, but the journey continues.

After nearly two weeks on the road, Covered California wrapped up its 2,000-mile-long “Spotlight on Coverage” bus tour in Sacramento last Thursday. We traveled the entire state, from San Diego to Eureka, and spread the word about open enrollment and how those insured are not only saving money, but also getting access to needed health care. We literally handed out spotlights to storefronts and clinics. We also put spotlights on many iconic California buildings — from LAX to city halls in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco and to the Tower Bridge in Sacramento — to raise awareness about open enrollment.

Peter's Blog: The Bus Tour Comes to a Close

The Spotlight on Coverage Bus Tour officially ended on Thursday after logging more than 2,000 miles crisscrossing the state. Along the way, we had the chance to commend our partners for their great work, as well as hear inspiring stories about how getting covered has impacted people’s lives.

One woman, who did not want her name to be shared, came to one of our events on the tour just to say thanks. She could not afford coverage until she signed up for a Covered California plan with premium assistance. A doctor’s visit for her free preventive services led to a diagnosis of uterine cancer. She was transferred from Redding to a top-notch oncologist in Sacramento. Today, she is cancer free and grateful for the excellent care she received.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Eleven

From San Diego to Eureka, the Spotlight on Coverage Bus Tour has touched California from top to bottom. Tuesday’s travels took us to the inland northern California cities of Redding, Chico and Yuba City.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Ten

Located in the northwest corner of the state, California’s Humboldt and Mendocino counties are famed for their redwood trees, wineries and Victorian architecture. On the bus tour, it is Covered California’s community partners – rather than the picturesque natural landscapes – that we are shining the spotlight on.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Nine

San Francisco City Hall spotlights open enrollment on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.

The Bay Area is home to three of the 38 stops on the Spotlight on Coverage Bus Tour. The diversity of the region’s residents is matched only by the variety of places where they can enroll: From large hospital networks to grassroots community agencies, those who live in the Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties have many choices for in-person enrollment help.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Eight

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You may have heard that sentiment in one of Covered California’s advertising campaigns. Or perhaps you read an academic study that supported the accuracy of the age-old proverb. Today I had the privilege of meeting the doctors and nurses who live by this saying at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, our first stop of the day on the Spotlight on Coverage Bus Tour.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Seven

The Spotlight on Coverage Bus Tour officially crossed the thousand-mile mark on Wednesday. That means the tour is at the halfway point in the 2,095-mile journey across the state to kick off open enrollment for health care starting in 2016.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Six

In the Inland Empire, 116,000 people have enrolled in a health plan through Covered California. That number is thanks to partners like the Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce (RCBCC). We held an event Tuesday morning at the RCBCC, and were pleased to find a big crowd of supportive partners who drive the effort to get the African-American community enrolled.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Four

Today the Spotlight on Coverage Bus Tour rolled through southern California, where we were greeted by our partners in Los Angeles, Hacienda Heights, Garden Grove and Indio. In downtown Los Angeles, we met up with the doctors and nurses delivering on the promise of care at Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center. And over in Garden Grove, Quote Selection Insurance is teeming with insurance agents eager to provide enrollment assistance.

We visited Quote Selection Insurance on Monday, Nov. 2 in Garden Grove.

Peter's Blog: Bus Tour, Day Three

Covered California's spotlight illuminates Los Angeles City Hall on Oct. 31, 2015 

Today we kicked off open enrollment for coverage in 2016, and we were gratified to see enrollment storefronts in Los Angeles bustling with people eager to enroll and get more information. We also heard from those who told us how their lives were impacted by getting covered. 

Peter's Blog: Welcome to the first day of Covered California's open-enrollment period!

Welcome to the first day of Covered California's open-enrollment period! Today we are standing with our partners in Los Angeles as part of our "Spotlight on Coverage" tour to raise awareness about this critical time. Right now tens of thousands of people are ready to help enroll uninsured Californians into quality, affordable healthcare coverage. Open enrollment runs through Jan. 31 and we hope you join us in making sure your family, friends and neighbors know about the improved benefits, expanded coverage and financial help available only though Covered California.

The Spotlight On Coverage Bus Tour kicks off open enrollment
with a visit to AltaMed in Los Angeles, Calif. on Nov.1.

Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee speaks at AltaMed.