439,000 newbies for Covered Cal

More than 439,000 Californians signed up for new health care coverage via the state’s Obamacare operation, according to numbers for the 2016 open enrollment periods.

Obamacare in California logo - health exchangeAbout 14,000 of those signed up after the enrollment’s official deadline, Covered California said Feb. 17.

Overall, 1.57 million consumers chose or remained with health plans during the enrollment. That compares with 1.4 million in 2015, but the number of those successfully signed up for heath insurance in 2016 will be lower — reduced by those who chose a plan but didn’t pay for the coverage.

Covered California pointed to an increase in the number of consumers who selected coverage outside the big four providers: Anthem Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Health Net and Kaiser Permanente.

“During (the) first two open-enrollment periods, approximately 94 percent of consumers signed up for coverage through one of the four major carriers,” Covered California said. “During the third open-enrollment period that number dropped to 83 percent.”

“Price matters, and just like any other business, consumers want the best value possible,” said Covered California Director of Health Plan Management Anne Price. “We have created a marketplace where carriers are fighting for people’s business.”

Covered California cited Molina Healthcare (Los Angeles), Sharp Health Plan (San Diego), Chinese Community Health Plan (San Francisco) and Western Health Advantage (Sacramento) for growth in total plan selections.

“The open enrollment data released today reminds us of the critical importance of local health plans,” Covered California chief Peter Lee said. “Our consumers know these plans in their communities, and it shows how the Affordable Care Act doesn’t just work for the major players, but for the local health plans as well.”

Blue Shield, Kaiser and Anthem were far in the lead in registering the highest percentage gains in signups, however. For the first time in three years, Blue Shield led enrollment in the state’s insurance exchange.

About 88 percent of renewing consumers kept their previous plans.

Covered California again gave procrastinators an extra week to complete their enrollments, meaning signups continued through the first week February.

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