Covered California Sign-Ups Continue

Today is the last day for Californians to sign up for Covered California — Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the state — if they want their coverage to start January 1. Open enrollment will continue through February 15; visit coveredca.com.

In Santa Barbara County, close to 106,000 individuals (including about 60,000 children) have enrolled with Medi-Cal as of December 1, according to the county’s public health department. As of the end of March 2014, more than 16,000 county residents had signed up with Covered California.

During the 2014 enrollment period, 34,000 previously uninsured residents living on the Central Coast obtained coverage with Covered California, according to Congresswoman Lois Capps’s office, and the number of residents who are uninsured declined by 50 percent. Statewide, more than 1.4 million people signed up.

Capps said in a statement: “I encourage Central Coast residents to log-on to Covered California’s website or call the number to consider their options and sign up for coverage for 2015. If you already have insurance through Covered California, be sure to still visit Covered California to update your information for next year to see if you are eligible for subsidies or tax credits and ensure that you are in the best plan to fit your needs.”