Covered California is Open for Enrollment!

Covered California’s Board met on October 27, 2016 where they provided an update on the preparation for the exchange’s fourth open enrollment period. Covered California’s Executive Director, Peter Lee, acknowledged there will be higher premiums this year. However, he also noted that most exchange enrollees (87.5%) are eligible for and currently receiving financial assistance. Thus they are protected from spending more than a set share of their income on premiums. Other topics covered included an update on the new verification process for special enrollment, and re-adoption of Covered California regulations governing outreach and enrollment entities, remote identity proofing and small business eligibility and enrollment assistance. You can find a recording of the board meeting, links to the presentations, reports, proposed regulations, attachments, and other materials here.

Open Enrollment Began on November 1^st!

Covered California’s fourth open enrollment period launched officially on November 1^st and runs through January 31, 2017. For coverage effective on January 1, people must enroll by December 15, 2016. As always, Medi-Cal enrollment is open year-round and individuals experiencing any life transitions (losing a job or moving, among many qualifying events for special enrollment) may enroll anytime, even after January 31, 2017. 

New Marketing Efforts. Covered California has several marketing efforts planned around the new open enrollment period. The open enrollment bus tour will run from November 12-19, 2016 throughout eight cities in California to promote the need to get covered.

To address the need for more specific information, billboards will feature regional health plans’ logos to show that Covered CA offers a choice of quality brand name health plans. Other marketing strategies include promoting a lower cost message, using images and messages that are unambiguously LGBTQ and providing in-language ads and commercials throughout the state.

Improvements to the Shop and Compare Tool. Covered California announced newly updated decision support tools on CoveredCA.com which include: A shop and compare tool where you can select if each member in a family would like coverage, anonymous shopping with an ‘add to cart’ function to save and checkout, and the ability to switch between dental and health plans on the shopping page.

Resources for non-English speakers. It is critical to highlight the number of resources available, particularly for Limited English Proficient populations, to help maximize enrollment. These include:

• Online: Covered California’s website is available in English and Spanish, and there are now landing pages in additional languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog. 
• By Mail: Translated applications for health coverage and fact sheets are available in 12 languages (follow the link to find application resources in those languages).
• In Person: Local enrollment assistance is available through Covered California and its community partners.
• By Phone: Covered California’s telephone help line: 1-800-300-1506 provides interpreters in any language. For service center hours click here. There are also dedicated, toll-free numbers for telephone assistance available in 12 languages

For more information on Covered California’s open enrollment and/or to enroll in a plan go to http://www.coveredca.com/apply/.