Covered California reports robust health insurance enrollments

Posted: 12/10/2014 04:18:19 PM PST

Updated: 12/11/2014 08:18:28 AM PST

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SACRAMENTO --- For the second year in a row, California is posting robust initial numbers of legal residents signing up for health insurance under the nation's new health care law, according to figures released Wednesday.

From Nov. 15, when the law's second open-enrollment period launched, through Dec. 3, nearly 300,000 additional people submitted applications and were determined to be eligible for either private health insurance or Medi-Cal, the state's health program for the poor.

About 130,000 of those applied for individual health plans on the state's health insurance exchange, called Covered California. That number compares favorably to the 105,000 during the entire month of October 2013, when the first open enrollment period kicked off.

'I'm happy to say the pace is very strong -- and the pace far exceeds last year's,' Peter Lee, Covered California's executive director, said Wednesday.

Unlike last year's open enrollment period, which lasted from Oct. 1 to mid-April and saw 1.2 million enrollees sign up for private insurance, this year's enrollment period will last only three months, ending Feb. 15.

Should the steady pace continue, Lee is confident Covered California will reach its goal of adding another 500,000 to private health plans.

About 160,000 people applied for Medi-Cal from Nov. 15 to Dec. 3, Toby Douglas, director of the Department of Health Care Services, said Wednesday.

'We are very pleased with the results we are seeing today,' said Douglas, adding that three-quarters of those people have already been enrolled.

Over the last year, Medi-Cal added at least 2.2 million new members to its rolls, many of them single adults who were allowed to join under a provision in the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. About 30 percent of Californians are now enrolled in Medi-Cal.

Douglas said the marketing and promotion efforts by Covered California helps draw attention to Medi-Cal, which offers year-round enrollment.

But the surge in Medi-Cal enrollees has tripped up its ability to process applications in a timely way, leading to backlog problems affecting 900,000 in May, a figure now reduced to under 100,000, Douglas said. He noted that backlogs could crop up again, but that his department is working with counties to keep any new backlog numbers to 'a reasonable level.'

As for Covered California, Lee said the assorted glitches many enrollees encountered last year, including computer problems and long waits to speak with call-center operators, appear to be fewer this year.

'That said, I will not say it's been a glitch-free enrollment period,' Lee said. 'There have been some bumps along the way, but different from last year.'

Through Monday's midnight deadline and beyond, Lee said, he is counting on the exchange's partnerships with community-based groups across the state to encourage enrollment. Their efforts include promoting more than 40 Covered California enrollment events this weekend scheduled statewide at libraries, schools and malls.

Contact Tracy Seipel at 408-920-5343. Follow her at Twitter.com/taseipel.

NEW Applications

From Nov. 15 to Dec. 3Private health plans: 130,239Medi-Cal: 160,557

TIPS FOR CONSUMERS

Midnight Monday is the deadline if you want your health insurance plan to start or continue on Jan. 1. If you sign up by Jan. 15, your plan will begin on Feb. 1. If you sign up by Feb. 15, the final deadline for 2015 insurance plans, your policy will take effect March 1. (If you do nothing, you will automatically be re-enrolled in your current plan.)The penalty if you don't obtain health insurance for 2015 -- either through a private plan, or through Medi-Cal -- is a minimum $325.For a calendar of Bay Area enrollment events and storefront locations where you can sign up for a health insurance plan on weekends and after normal business hours, as well as other information about in-person assistance, go to Covered California's website at http://ift.tt/1zDJece: Covered California