At midnight Friday, California's open enrollment closes. Do you have health insurance?

Jan. 31--Covered California wants the ultimate procrastinators to know there are only a few hours left to sign up for health care coverage through the state-based insurance market place. Open enrollment ends at midnight Friday.

Roughly 11,000 people a day have signed up since Monday, and as of Wednesday, the agency had signed up more than 364,000 new enrollees, 20 percent more than last year's total enrollment of 295,000.

"Open enrollment is coming to an end, and while we have more than 10,000 people signing up every day, we know there are many out there who have not yet done so, and they need to act quickly," said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. "Californians have until midnight on Jan. 31 to sign up for health coverage and get the protection and peace of mind that they deserve."

A new state law, known as an individual mandate, requires that Californians have health insurance this year. If they don't, they'll face a penalty on the 2020 taxes. But, at the same time, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators also offered new state financial help to make insurance premiums more affordable for hundreds of thousands of middle-income state residents.

Individual earning up to $74,940 could get help, as could and a family of four with a household income of up to $154,500. Subsidies are averaging $466 a month for eligible middle-income households. Lee urged everyone to check their eligibility because many people who didn't qualify for federal subsidies are getting state assistance.

A recent Covered California poll showed that roughly six out of every 10 uninsured state residents do not know that they are required to have health insurance. The penalty for a family of four who doesn't have coverage is about $2,000.

"We do not want Californians to surprised that they have to write a check to the Franchise Tax Board next year, when they could get coverage that is more affordable than they think," Lee said. "You can find out within just a few minutes what plans are in your area and how much financial help you can receive, so don't leave money on the table.

To sign up, consumers can go to www.coveredca.com or call 800-300-1506. Anyone can buy a 2020 health insurance policy during open enrollment, but at other times of the year, consumers can only sign up if they have a qualifying life event such as a new baby or loss of employer-sponsored coverage.

Insurers use open enrollment periods in private industry or with state-based exchanges to ensure that consumers do not sign up for coverage only when they're sick and then drop it when they're well again, increasing costs for all. Consumers must sign up for a year of coverage, giving insurers a risk pool that includes both sick and healthy people.

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