Covered California Opens Enrollment Center To Assist the Uninsured In Getting Affordable Health Insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California, its community partners and several insurance companies operating in the agency’s exchange are hosting the opening of a comprehensive enrollment center in Hawthorne where Los Angeles-area consumers can immediately enroll for health coverage.

The Covered California Enrollment Center brings certified enrollers, health insurance companies and Covered California together in one location to make enrollment as smooth as possible for the consumer by offering face-to-face, one-on-one enrollment processing. Certified Plan-Based Enrollers, Certified Enrollment Counselors and Certified Insurance Agents will be on hand throughout open enrollment to answer questions about benefits, types of plans, provider networks and costs. Additional literature and information will be available for consumers to take with them.

“This center will provide consumers with visible, convenient and consistent access to enrollment support in Covered California qualified health plans,” said Covered California Director of Outreach and Sales Kirk Whelan. “It will help us reach and enroll important segments of the population that remain uninsured, bringing them health care they need and deserve. The cities of Torrance, Gardena, Inglewood, Carson and Hawthorne are target markets.”

This Covered California Enrollment Center was placed in the southern part of Los Angeles County because Covered California’s “hot spot” maps identified several of its communities as having higher numbers of remaining uninsured and subsidy-eligible consumers — particularly African-Americans and Latinos.

The enrollment center is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays through Jan. 31, when open enrollment ends.

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.