The state Obamacare operation says it’s ready to sign up another 500,000 Californians in the enrollment period that began Nov. 15. That would bring total enrollment to 1.7 million state residents.
“There still is a lot of work to do, because an estimated 3.2 million people still are uninsured in California,” Covered California chief Peter Lee said as open enrollment began for the 2015 coverage year.
The enrollment period — the second under the Affordable Care Act — is half the length of the original signup stretch. The 2015 enrollments run Nov. 15 through Feb. 15. After that, enrollees would need a special circumstance — such as the loss of a job or a new baby — to get covered in 2015.
For coverage that takes effect Jan. 1, the signup must be completed by Dec. 15.
Most but not all of those who buy private health insurance via Covered California receive government subsidies. Covered California predicts 1.5 million will be signed up in 2015 for subsidized coverage and 230,000 for unsubsidized coverage. The protections of the Affordable Care Act extend to those who buy their health insurance directly from insurers, and the signup process may well prove to be simpler.
Lee and other Covered California reps have been touring the state in a Covered California-branded bus, seeking to publicize the new enrollment period.
Covered California is promoting a handful of improvements in its processes, most 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.
“In-person assistance is a really big deal for consumers, and we want to support them through retail enrollment storefronts and up to 1,000 enrollment events scheduled across the state” Covered California chief executive Lee said. “We’re ready to help.”
The increased efforts to reach minorities followed criticisms of the 2014 campaign that the state Obamacare operation failed to reach a proportional number of Latino residents. The subsequent efforts to reach Latinos then resulted in criticism that Afro-Americans and Asian Americans were underrepresented.
Lee said the focus of the promotional efforts was on reaching the hardcore uninsured: “Many of the uninsured have been without coverage for a long time. They have adopted a ‘culture of coping’ and figured out a way to make it work if they get sick or injured.”
Covered California also faces for the first time the prospect of attrition — the loss of existing customers, expected to be about 15 percent.
Consumers who bought insurance through the state health insurance exchange do not need to re-enroll if they wish to continue with their current plans — but consumer advocates do recommend a review of options as prices and conditions change year to year on specific plans.
One popular insurer, Kaiser Permanente, has dropped its rates on some of the exchange’s most popular plans, for instance, while other insurers have increased rates in other plans. The average Covered California plan saw just over a 4 percent increase for 2015.
Federal fines for not having health insurance increase in 2015, to a minimum of $325 per adult or 2 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater.
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