California’s health insurance exchange, Covered California, recently received $155 million in federal grant money to help boost enrollment, especially among uninsured Latinos, the key market of the exchange. This is in addition to the $910 million the state has already received in federal grant money to establish its healthcare exchange.
Although California has led the nation in enrollments with nearly 1.7 million people enrolled as of February 1, it has faced criticism for poor service and system glitches. The latest issue involved pulling the provider directory from the Covered California website because it contained inaccurate information, frustrating consumers, according to the Covered California website.
Latinos Underrepresented in Enrollment Numbers
While Latinos make up 46% of those eligible for cost-sharing subsides, only 20% of the enrollees through Covered California describe themselves as Latino. A significant portion of the federal grant money will be used for marketing to encourage Latinos to enroll. Covered California will add an additional 350 service-center representatives to its current 469 call center workers before open enrollment ends on March 31.
Paul Fearer, a Covered California board member, expressed concern that if the customer service issues aren’t resolved, however, the millions of dollars spent on marketing to Latinos may do more harm than good, as reported by the LA Times.
A Knowledgeable Agent Can Help You Understand Your Options
A Covered California exchange-certified agent, like the agents at Benefit Packages, can help you understand your best options for coverage and determine whether you may qualify for cost-sharing subsidies or tax breaks through the health insurance exchange. Call Benefit Packages today for more information at 1-800-356-3615.