Covered California's open enrollment is under way. It runs through Jan. 15. The signup period unfurls accompanied by a series of changes. Californians who fail to obtain health insurance again will be penalized come tax time. The return of the "individual mandate" sees a minimum $695 state tax penalty. Gov. Gavin Newsom agreed to that change during the summer. The state's middle class will enjoy expanded subsidies in 2020. The new ... (More)
Covered Cal premium hikes at 1%
July 9, 2019 Leave a Comment
Covered California's average rate increase for 2020 will be just under 1 percent, officials said. The good news came shortly after state lawmakers reinstated a penalty for residents who fail to carry health insurance, similar to the "individual mandate" imposed under the federal Affordable Care Act. Covered California said it was "the lowest change" since the insurance marketplace launched. All 11 health insurance companies ... (More)
Covered Cal: Rates will rise 8.7%
July 20, 2018 Leave a Comment
The inevitable rates increases are in for California's private health insurance operation and the news is good, sort of. Covered California said rates will rise an average of 8.7 percent for 2019. That's less than the dire projections for most of the country, and follows two straight years of double-digit premium-rate hikes in California. The state Obamacare operation termed the increase "a modest rate change for 2019." That's ... (More)
‘Silver loading’ to continue in ’19
June 7, 2018 Leave a Comment
Federal officials will not block insurance companies from again using a workaround to cushion a steep rise in health premiums caused by President Trump's cancellation of a program established under the Affordable Care Act, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced. The technique -- called "silver loading" because it pushed price increases onto the silver-level plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces -- was used by many states for 2018 ... (More)
Calif. premium projection: Up 11%
May 30, 2018 Leave a Comment
Premiums in the individual marketplace will jump 11 percent in 2019, Covered California predicts. The increase comes as enrollment in the state Affordable Care Act marketplace is expected to fall as much as 12 percent. The projected premiums are in line with the "significant" increases of up to 35 percent that Covered California warned were coming over the next three-year period. This past year, Covered California premiums were up ... (More)
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