Ventura County residents start to enroll in federal health reform [Ventura County Star, Calif.]

Oct. 02--The first day of enrollment in insurance programs created by federal health care reform was marked across California by a torrent of phone calls, online delays and consumers trying to digest the new options available to them.

Rebekah Ramirez sat in a partly filled Ventura County Human Services Agency office in Ventura on Tuesday morning, hoping for food stamps, full Medi-Cal coverage and answers to her questions about the Affordable Care Act. She is unemployed, 9 months pregnant and weighed down by $10,000 in medical debt.

She was told she likely will continue to receive Medi-Cal past her pregnancy until she finds another job. Then she may qualify for the Covered California marketplace with subsidies that could whittle down her premiums.

She thinks the health care reform programs will likely help her. She isn't sure about her 62-year-old father, a middle-class retiree who's also uninsured. He qualifies for the new exchange, but his premiums would likely exceed $500 a month.

"I think it's great to have programs for people," she said. "It sucks that you have to be poor to be eligible."

A six-month enrollment period started Tuesday for the Covered California marketplace, undeterred by the partial federal government shutdown. The state-run exchange is part of President Barack Obama's reform program. It's aimed primarily at people not covered by government programs or employer coverage. (Read a question and answer about Covered California)

Actual coverage begins Jan. 1.

Enrollment also began in an expanded Medi-Cal system, another key piece of federal reform. It could bring insurance to as many as 25,000 Ventura County residents currently not covered by the program. That insurance also kicks in on New Year's Day.

Across the state, about 6,500 calls poured into Covered California call centers in the first 90 minutes of operation. By 3 p.m., 17,000 calls had been made.

The online crush was just as frenzied. About 5 million hits were made on the exchange's website by 3 p.m. with a peak of 16,000 hits per minute.

The numbers brought delays on the phones and in online enrollment.

"We're improving as we go along, and it's actually moving very smooth right now," Covered California spokeswoman Anne Gonzales said late Tuesday afternoon. "We'd also like to remind people that this is the first day."

It was more subdued at the Ventura County Human Services Agency offices, where staff members were ready to help people trying to enroll in expanded Medi-Cal or Covered California. The offices saw modest traffic. Very few calls were transferred from the exchange to a county call center.

County officials said there were reports that low telephone volumes reflected problems faced by Covered California. Others noted that people may be waiting to enroll.

"I think people are in a wait-and-see mode," said Curtis Updike, a deputy director with the Human Services Agency.

Some of the people waiting in a Human Services center in Ventura for food stamps, financial relief and other assistance were unaware of the programs in the Affordable Care Act.

"I don't pay attention to any of it," said an uninsured man checking on his Medi-Cal status.

Ronald Grabowsky, of Ventura, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and an enlarged heart and is on oxygen. He wants insurance that covers his prescriptions.

"I have no idea," he said when asked if federal health care reform might help him.

Others have done their homework. They said they want to know their options because of the fine they'll be assessed for not having insurance.

"I'm completely pro-Obamacare," said a 61-year-old Ojai woman who is uninsured and unemployed. "The only thing I don't like is it seems to criminalize people who cannot afford" insurance.

There's still confusion, but public understanding may be on the rise, said Catherine P. Pedrosa, an outreach education specialist with the United Way of Ventura County. As part of a massive Covered California outreach effort, she spent part of Tuesday explaining the new exchange during a health fair at Moorpark College.

And when she mentioned Covered California, at least some of the people knew what she meant.

"There's some name recognition," she said. "A week ago, I would say 'Covered California' and no one knew what it was."

The statewide flood of phone and online activity on the first day of enrollment made Anthony Wright predict an even larger crush Dec. 15Jan. 1.

"It's human nature that there will be many people who wait until the last minute," he said.

More info

To enroll in Covered California or gather more information, visit www.coveredca.com or call 1-800-300-1506. To enroll in Medi-Cal, go to the "apply for aid online" link at www.vchsa.org or call 1-888-472-4463. For more information on reform programs, visit http://www.vcstar.com/special/healthcare.

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