Covered California leaps into open enrollment with multi-city tour featuring dance
"Health insurance is ... not about what you plan for," said
In 2017, Lee said, roughly 22,000 of Covered California's 1.4 million consumers had a dislocated, sprained or broken arm or shoulder, nearly 9,000 enrollees were treated for whiplash or back injuries, and more than 6,000 had broken ankles. These are a few statistics to illustrate how life changed in an instant for many Californians.
"Those are on the 'small' end" in terms of cost, Lee said. "Let's take that up a notch: About 15,000 of our enrollees had health-care costs of over
The choreographer for Thursday's dance routine,
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"I got misdiagnosed three different times until I went to Cedars-Sinai," said Schultz, a
He was in the hospital for a month and lost more than 50 pounds, he said, and the bill was
At the time, Schultz's health insurance coverage all depended on whether he made enough income to qualify for coverage from his union, the
"I wasn't getting paid enough to get insurance, and I was freaking out," Schultz said. "I checked into Covered California, and I didn't know if I would even be considered. I applied and I got covered. The subsidy made it affordable."
Lee said that nine out of every 10 Covered California enrollees qualify for a subsidy from the federal government that will help reduce their premiums. It's vital, Lee said, that the population who receive subsidies include a large base of healthy people. Otherwise, costs go up for those who don't get assistance with their premiums.
Covered
Covered
Every year, Lee embarks on a multi-day, multi-city bus tour where he hosts open enrollment kickoff events and uses the arts to promote health coverage. Schultz, who choreographed routines for both
The
"There's this moment where it's like, 'Oh, gosh, what will happen?'" Schultz said. "Then we take them behind a curtain that represents the hospital, and through the number, they show the freedom of knowing that they're covered. I don't think people really understand sometimes that having insurance is a blessing. You don't have to stress out. All that money doesn't have to come out of your pocket."
Insurance agent
Gorgevich said he tries to help people understand that, when they don't have health insurance, they and their family members are less likely to seek preventive care or to go to the doctor when they feel sick.
"Early detection of diseases helps survival," he said "If you have people in your family ... not getting coverage, they're going to neglect doctor visits because they don't have coverage, so there's a ripple effect. It could lead to procedures that are very expensive, and people have to sell their houses, declare bankruptcy or do whatever it takes for them to survive."
Even people with employer-based coverage don't think they're going to get sick until they get sick, Lee said, and that's why Covered California's marketing and advertising efforts encourage, remind and perhaps even harangue potential enrollees. Unless state residents lose their jobs or have another special life circumstance, they can sign up for coverage from Covered California only during open enrollment. It ends
Covered
"The last thing we want is to have insurance (plan designs) being a barrier to you getting the care you need when you need it," Lee said. "That's why every one of the health plans we offer have the same benefit designs that don't play gotcha games with the coverage."
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