Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, announced that as of January 31, 2014, more than 1.6 million Americans have enrolled in health coverage either through Covered California or Medi-Cal, the state’s low/no-cost healthcare program.
Low enrollment in Covered California among individuals identifying as Latino has been a concern for program administrators in prior months. Earlier this year, Covered California received a federal grant for $155 million to increase enrollment in the program, reportedly using a significant portion of the money on marketing to Latinos.
The effort seems to have paid off, as the number of Latino enrollees also increased significantly by the end of January, with almost 46,000 people enrolling in a single month. “We’re glad to see increased momentum for enrollment in the Latino communities, but we still have work to do as we move into the final six weeks before the March 31st deadline,” said Covered California’s Executive Director, Peter V. Lee.
Approximately 62 percent of individuals who enrolled through Covered California are eligible for subsidies to help reduce healthcare costs. Plans in the program are tier-based and have been designated as bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Bronze plans cover 60 percent of medical costs and have the lowest premium, while platinum plans have the highest premium but cover 90 percent of costs. Silver plans cover 70 percent of costs and have a premium somewhere in between the bronze and platinum plans. Most subsidy-eligible individuals have enrolled in Silver-level plans, according to Covered California.
Covered California reports that Anthem Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente and Health Net are among the top plans chosen, and collectively they represent almost 92 of total enrollment.
The exchange-certified agents at Benefit Packages help consumers find affordable, comprehensive coverage both inside and outside of California’s health insurance exchange. We work with Anthem Blue Cross of California and Blue Shield of California, among other reputable carriers. Call us at 1-800-356-3615 for enrollment assistance.