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Covered California, the state health insurance marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act, has introduced a new special enrollment period to benefit victims of the 500+ wildfires raging across California.
The executive director of Covered California, Peter V. Lee, called the wildfires, pandemic, and recession a “triple threat” to Californians. As a result, Covered California is reopening enrollment to offer affordable healthcare options to those who have been affected by the wildfires, or have lost their job or income due to the pandemic and recession.
Covered California initially allowed people to continue signing up due to the pandemic from March 20 through August 31. As of August 20, more than 271,000 people had taken advantage of the opportunity. Typically, only certain individuals who experience a “qualifying life event”, such as the birth of a child, can enroll outside of the open enrollment period. Now that this period has expired, Covered California is allowing certain individuals affected by the fires, the pandemic, and the recession to qualify for special enrollment based on new definitions of qualifying life events.
Those who sign up through Covered California have access to private health insurance plans, with coverage beginning on the first day of the following month. Or, they may be eligible for no-cost or low-cost coverage through Medi-Cal, which is effective immediately.
Covered California and Medi-Cal plans offer tele-health options, so individuals can connect with a health care professional by phone or video without having to visit a medical office in person.
To learn more about how California employers can achieve ACA compliance in 2020, click here.