Covered California Highlights How Coverage Is Improving the Health of Enrollees and Changing Lives Across the State

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — With just 10 days left until the close of open enrollment, Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins appeared in San Diego Friday to promote enrollment and highlight ways that health insurance is improving the health and well-being of Californians.

“We’re traveling across the state to make sure everyone knows that the deadline to enroll for coverage is only 10 days away,” Lee said.

Lee and Atkins appeared in San Diego at the UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest.

Atkins, D-San Diego, said, “UC San Diego — and the San Diego region — are leaders in developing effective medical treatments. But the best treatment in the world won’t matter if someone doesn’t have access to health care. We are doing everything we can, not only in San Diego, but across the state, to make sure people know that they have until Feb. 15 to sign up for affordable, quality health care.”

As Covered California continues its second historic year, people are coming forward to share how their lives have been changed by getting insurance. A new series of videos now airing on social media tells of enrollees who got access to care that saved their lives, improved care for their children and caught cancer through preventive screenings.

“The scope of change underway in our health care system is dramatic, and it is affecting people in powerful ways,” Lee said. “All over the state, I am meeting people who tell me extraordinary stories about how coverage resulted in them getting life-changing and life-saving care.”

Lee said Covered California estimates based on data from the California Department of Public Health, the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.coveredca.com/pdfs/newsroom/impact-of-health-coverage-fact-sheet.pdf) indicate that insurance coverage is helping improve care for a number of prominent health conditions, including asthma and diabetes.  

Specifically:

While the estimates show promise, Lee said data from actual health care usage by Covered California enrollees will offer a more precise picture in the years ahead.

Lee said Covered California will soon engage analytics experts to learn more about the extent to which people with chronic conditions are getting the right care at the right time, to what extent people are using the free preventive services available under the Affordable Care Act and whether early intervention is working to help people avoid the worst effects of cancer and other life-threatening health conditions.

“The Affordable Care Act was designed not just to make health coverage more affordable, but also to improve the quality of care and ensure the right care at the right time for the best health outcomes,” Lee said.

On Friday, appearing at a press conference with San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency Director Nick Macchione and enrollees from San Diego, Lee applauded Covered California Certified Enrollment Counselors, Certified Insurance Agents and county eligibility workers in San Diego County for their good work getting people enrolled.

Lee said more than 28,000 San Diegans had enrolled between Nov. 15 and Feb. 2, and an additional 30,300 people enrolled in Medi-Cal through the end of December.

Statewide enrollment data by county for all California counties is contained in the table on the next pages.

Gabriela Parra of San Diego is among the newly insured Californians now benefiting from private coverage for herself and her family. She is one of the recently covered enrollees appearing in Covered California videos to promote open enrollment. The video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN6K1zQ_vPU. Before Covered California, Parra traveled to Tijuana for routine care for her daughter, who has asthma.

“Since Covered California came into our lives, I don’t have to worry about going to Tijuana. Now I can stay here. I can go to a doctor a couple of times a week. I have a $20 copay. I go to the pharmacy, and guess what? I pay $5 for medicine,” Parra said. “Covered California is a blessing in our lives. That’s a life-changer.”

In addition, Covered California highlighted one of its new videos featuring Kim Smith, of Atwater, who wanted a colonoscopy after her husband died of colon cancer. In the video, Smith said that she was able to get a colonoscopy after she got insurance through Covered California, and the procedure determined she did have cancer.

“I consider myself to be one lucky cancer survivor. Having insurance has absolutely changed my life. If something happens to me tomorrow, I’m going to have health care, and I’ll be here for a while,” Smith says in the video, which can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQiBqtXY04g.

Hundreds of enrollment events are planned throughout California in the final 10 days of open enrollment. Consumers can get assistance to enroll from more than 20,000 Certified Enrollment Counselors and Certified Insurance Agents who can provide free, confidential help. A list of enrollment locations and events by ZIP code can be found by visiting CoveredCA.com and clicking “Find Local Help.”

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.