Covered California Attracting A High Number of Latinos and African-American Consumers in Year Two
Still Work to Do to Get Those Determined Eligible Across the Finish Line
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California and the California Department
of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced Thursday that very high numbers of
Latinos and African-Americans applied for coverage in the first part of this
year’s open enrollment, signaling great promise that the Feb. 15 end of open
enrollment will show much higher numbers than the first year.
“It appears our marketing and outreach are working to get
people in the door,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee.
“The job now is to get them across the finish line.”
“The new data show that the efforts to focus more outreach
in these communities are finding many Californians who still want and need
coverage,” said DHCS Director Toby Douglas. “We’re very pleased with the
success so far.”
Through Jan. 12, 311,741 consumers were determined eligible
for coverage in Covered California, and an additional 228,766 selected a plan.
The group of consumers determined eligible for private
coverage who provided information about their race/ethnicity was:
- 50 percent Latino.
- 23 percent white.
- 11 percent Asian.
- 6 percent black or African-American.
- 4 percent unknown race/non-Latino (where a response was given).
- 2 percent mixed race.
- 4 percent other.
- Less than 1 percent American Indian or Alaska Native.
- Less than 1 percent Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
The proportions above exclude those who did not respond to
questions about race and ethnicity. Thirteen percent of the total number did
not respond.
“The great news is that our marketing and outreach efforts
appear to be working very well,” Lee said.
The group that took the next step after eligibility
determination and selected a plan through Covered California and also provided
information about their race/ethnicity was less diverse but still more diverse
than it was at the midpoint of open enrollment last year. It was:
- 38 percent white.
- 28 percent Latino.
- 19 percent Asian.
- 5 percent unknown race/non-Latino (where a response was given).
- 3 percent black or African-American.
- 3 percent mixed race.
- 3 percent other.
- Less than 1 percent American Indian or Alaska Native.
- Less than 1 percent Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
The proportions above exclude those who did not respond to questions about race and ethnicity.
Twenty-nine percent of the total number did not respond.
Demographic data
about those who enrolled in Medi-Cal through the Covered California portal since
open enrollment began include data on race and ethnicity through Dec. 31, the
latest period for which official demographic data are available. This group of enrollees
was:
- 40 percent white.
- 25 percent Latino.
- 13 percent Asian.
- 10 percent other.
- 9 percent African-American.
- 3 percent mixed race.
The proportions above exclude those who did not respond to
questions about race and ethnicity.
Since open enrollment began on Nov. 15, more than 1 million
consumers have sought health coverage through Covered California. Lee reported
at the Covered California Board meeting Thursday that 311,741 consumers were
determined eligible for private health coverage, and another 228,766 consumers
selected plans through Jan. 12. In the same time period, more than 466,000 were
enrolled in Medi-Cal, and more than 110,000 were likely eligible for Medi-Cal.
In the second year
of open enrollment, Covered California made significant changes, including:
- Having 18 percent more English- and Spanish-language advertising aimed at Latinos than last year, including significantly more Spanish-language advertising. The total share of Spanish-language advertising increased from 27 percent of the total advertising buy in 2013-2014 to more than 36 percent of the total advertising buy in 2014-2015.
- Developing a comprehensive Spanish-language enrollment website mirroring the English website, including Spanish-language advertising featuring Latinos newly covered by Covered California.
- Increasing the number of Service Center representatives able to serve consumers in their own languages without interpreters. As of Jan. 15, there are 219 bilingual Service Center representatives able to help customers in languages other than English, including 155 who speak Spanish. Another 61 bilingual Service Center representatives will begin on Jan. 26. This compares to 55 during open enrollment last year.
- Stepping up immigration messaging in partnership with national immigrant rights groups to reassure consumers that they may apply even if a family member is undocumented.
- Joining with physicians from the California Latino Medical Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association to encourage their physician members to spread the word about open enrollment.
Lee also noted
particular success in attracting African-Americans determined eligible for
coverage through Covered California.
This year, Covered
California increased its share of paid advertising aimed at African-Americans
from 7 percent in 2013-2014 to 9.9 percent in 2015, including television, radio
and print advertising in black newspapers. In addition, Covered California has
worked with African-American churches and other community groups to promote
enrollment.
“One of our
lessons learned last year is that partnerships matter and are transformative,”
Lee said. “We are very pleased to see that some of our new marketing and
outreach efforts are showing signs of success.”
Lee said Covered
California is succeeding in attracting the full diversity of California’s
eligible population and is now exploring how to move those eligible through the
complete enrollment process.
Lee noted that
approximately 25 percent of those determined eligible who did not go on to
select a plan speak Spanish.
“We are going to
be directing our Service Center representatives, especially our bilingual
representatives, to begin outbound calls to those who have been determined
eligible but may have stalled after completing part of the application,” Lee
said.
“We will continue
to do much more to explore how we are moving our consumers through the
enrollment process,” he said. “But it is very exciting to see that our effort
to get people in the door seems to be working.”
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the
federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in
partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged
with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small
businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. Covered
California helps individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium
assistance that is available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs
or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can
then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for
their health needs and budget. Small businesses can purchase competitively
priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose
from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state
government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers.
It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the
Legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
About the Department of Health Care Services
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) works to preserve and improve the physical and mental health of all Californians. DHCS provides health care services for about 12 million Californians through Medi-Cal, including medical, dental, mental health, substance use treatment services, and long-term services and supports. This is accomplished through an investment of approximately $90 billion annually in public funds for the care of low-income families, children, pregnant women, seniors and persons with disabilities. DHCS focuses on delivering quality, effective services primarily through coordinated systems of care provided by 22 Medi-Cal managed care plans located in all of California’s 58 counties. For more information about DHCS, please visit www.dhcs.ca.gov.