Covered Cal signs up 49,000

Almost 49,000 people signed up for coverage via Covered California in the first three weeks of open enrollment for 2015, the state Obamacare operation said.

“More than 290,000 new consumers submitted applications and were determined eligible for private health insurance or Medi-Cal,” Covered California said in announcing the numbers covering Nov. 15 through Dec. 3.

Consumers have until Dec. 15 to sign up for private insurance that begins Jan. 1, although open enrollment continues through Feb. 15.

Covered California chief Peter Lee (pictured) said: “The pace of enrollment is strong, at rates far exceeding those we saw last year, but open enrollment is only three months long this time around, so we are working hard to continue to get the word out.”

The state Obamacare exchange cited 81,287 “eligibility determinations” along with the 48,952 who made their health-insurance plan selections. Medi-Cal enrollments were put at 116,262, with 2.2 million signing up in 2014. (Medi-Cal signups continue throughout the year.)

Consumers with existing Covered California-sold policies will be renewed automatically, although terms and premiums have changed across the board — making a review of coverage options beneficial in many cases. Covered California policies saw increases of about 4 percent for next year, although some plans saw decreases, notably some from Kaiser Permanente.

Covered California is targeting a total enrollment of 1.7 million as of Feb. 15 — another 500,000 consumers, almost all of whom would receive government subsidies for buying healthcare coverage. An estimated 3.2 million people remain uninsured in California

Officials credited a smoother enrollment system for the increased number of signups compared with 2014, the first year for the health-insurance marketplace. “I would not say it’s been a glitch-free renewal process,” Lee told reporters Dec. 10. “But by and large, this process is going smoothly.”

Covered California is promoting a handful of improvements in its system, mostly products of lessons learned during the 2014 signup. They include a new outreach programs for minorities; an expanded service center with additional hours; and the addition of 200 “storefront” service centers in locations such as shopping malls.

“It’s clear that Californians’ desire for health coverage remains strong, and the improvements in the enrollment system are making a big difference,” said Toby Douglas, director of the state Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal.

Meanwhile, the federal government is reporting 1.4 million enrollments through the main Affordable Care Act exchange, HealthCare.gov. The White House expects a total of about 9 million enrollments in 2015.