Statewide bus tour campaign launched
LOS ANGELES —Covered California, the state’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, has launched a bus tour campaign to spread awareness about health care options.
On Friday, November 14, the bus stopped in Los Angeles at Grand Park in front of City Hall.
More than 1 million Californians received insurance through Covered California in the first 2014 open enrollment period, and speakers at the presentation in Downtown Los Angeles encouraged Californians to take advantage of this program.
“All of us understand that this is an important opportunity for not only Angelenos, but throughout the state of California to get enrolled,” said Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “We shouldn’t take anything for granted. There are those who wish to roll this back. We want to roll forward.”
An estimated 3.4 million Californians who were previously uninsured now have insurance through Covered California.
Through the program, the rate of uninsured Californians has dropped from 22 percent to 11 percent. This marks the largest reduction compared to any other state in the whole nation, said Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee.
With such a number, state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) said California is way ahead of the country.
“I believe that the success of the Affordable Care Act in this country is going to be dependent on what happens in the success of California…. We’ve signed up the most individuals,” he said.
Open enrollment for coverage in 2015 began on Saturday, Nov. 15, at which point the tour bus had already made stops in Sacramento, San Jose, Merced, Fresno, Pasadena, Riverside, Palms Spring, San Diego and Bakersfield, among other cities.
“If you’re not insured now, now is the time to do it,” said Toby Douglas, director of the California Department of Health Care Services.
Asian Americans in California are one of the ethnic groups who have benefited significantly from Covered California.
Stewart Kwoh, founding president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, said more than 600,000 Asian American Pacific Islanders obtained health insurance through Covered California or Medi-Cal, many of whom didn’t have coverage before.
Lee said that of individuals eligible for subsidies, 22 percent are Asian. He said that the thousands of Asian Americans who got insured through the program was because the community stepped up and said, “We will leave no one behind.”
“We’ve seen it happen last year. We need to build on that success to make sure everyone knows to get covered this year,” he said.
Lee also addressed concerns regarding immigration status, saying that such information is kept confidential. Undocumented immigrants, however, are not eligible for Covered California and have to receive care through other clinics, he said.
The campaign is also targeting younger individuals through social media. Lee encouraged people in attendance to post selfies on Facebook with a caption reading, “I’m in.”
Open enrollment for 2015 ends on February 15, 2015.
Individuals interested in applying for health insurance through Covered California are encouraged to do so online at www.coveredca.com/apply, but can also apply in-person through a certified insurance agent. Other options include applying via phone by calling (800) 300-1506. Applications can also be submitted via mail and fax.
To apply, applicants will need to have specific information readily available, including: a Social Security number (for US Citizens) or documentation (for immigrants with satisfactory status), income and employer information for the individual and all household members, federal tax information, and information regarding health insurance any household member may receive through a job.
Applicants can also opt for automatic renewal of health insurance for up to five years that eliminates the need to resubmit a new application annually. To do this, individuals must allow Covered California or Medi-Cal to use resources, such as the IRS, to obtain income information.
The Covered California website previously experienced delays due to the high volume of applications it received in an earlier enrollment period. With the present enrollment period just a few days in, the website is currently up and running.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek November 19-21, 2014 Sec. A pg.1)
