Covered California and National Hispanic Medical Association Partner To Spur Enrollment During Third Open Enrollment Under the Affordable Care Act

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California and the National Hispanic Medical Association have again joined forces to raise awareness of the third open-enrollment period under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The National Hispanic Medical Association partnered with Covered California during open enrollment for the second consecutive year by sending out a letter to more than 1,100 association members that featured ways to get the word out about open enrollment in physicians’ offices and on social media sites.

Open enrollment began on Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31.

“We are proud to be partnering again with the trusted members of the National Hispanic Medical Association,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “Their voices help us highlight the importance of the open-enrollment period and our shared goal of getting as many Californians health insurance coverage as possible. They have been invaluable partners to Covered California during this process.”

An estimated 750,000 uninsured Californians remain eligible to enroll in a health insurance plan through Covered California, and approximately 1.4 million uninsured Californians qualify for Medi-Cal coverage.

Cultivating a culture of coverage is also a goal of physicians across California.

“We recognize how significant open enrollment is for our patients and consumers across California and the nation,” National Hispanic Medical Association President and CEO Elena Rios said. “We want to do our part to ensure more Californians have health care coverage than ever before.”

Covered California has served more than 2 million consumers since it began offering health coverage in January 2014. Last year, nine out of 10 Covered California enrollees received financial assistance to help pay for their coverage.

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.

Established in 1994 and based in Washington, D.C., the NHMA is a nonprofit association representing 50,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the United States. The NHMA's mission is to empower Hispanic physicians and other health care professionals to improve the health of Hispanic populations with Hispanic medical societies, resident and medical student organizations, and its public and private sector partners. The vision of the NHMA is to be the national leader to improve the health of Hispanic populations. For more information about the NHMA, please visit www.nhmamd.org.