Covered California extends time for uninsured residents to sign up for health coverage

Jun. 24--Covered California announced Tuesday that it would extend a special enrollment period to July 31 to give Californians additional time to sign up for health insurance. It had been set to end June 30.

As cases of COVID-19 surged in California, the agency's board voted to give all uninsured Californians the opportunity to sign up for coverage. Typically, after open enrollment ends in January, only people who have a qualifying life event such as a job loss are eligible to get coverage.

COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, has killed roughly 5,600 people in California and has sickened more than 183,000. After a brief decline in the number of cases, infections are once again on the rise.

"Covered California is committed to helping people get access to the health care they need, and while California is reopening parts of the state, there is still a lot of uncertainty out there due to the pandemic," said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. "We want to make sure that people have a path to coverage, whether it is through Covered California or Medi-Cal, and giving people more time to sign up is the right thing to do."

Roughly 175,030 people signed up for health care coverage between March 20 and June 20, more than twice the number who signed up during the same time last year, according to the latest data collected by the agency. Coverage starts on the first day of the month following enrollment, so individuals who have lost their job-based insurance would not face a gap in coverage.

Covered California offers private health insurance plans with monthly premiums that can be offset by financial help from the federal and state governments. State subsidies are being offered for the first time this year.

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Consumer advocate Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, said that even though health coverage is crucial at all times, it's especially essential in the middle of a global pandemic to ensure the health and well-being of families.

"Californians should take advantage of the new state investment, making care as affordable as ever for many low- and middle-income households," Wright said. "We urge everyone to take this opportunity to connect with crucial coverage and care."

A new state mandate requiring health insurance went into effect this year, and those who do not have coverage will face a state tax penalty when they file their annual income returns in 2021.

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