Premiums, Subsidies And Insurers: What You Need To Know As Covered California Enrollment Kicks Off
Open enrollment has begun in California, and experts offer tips and advice on navigating the process. Average premiums for Covered California plans have gone up 8.7 percent, but Covered California says about 90 percent of its consumers are eligible for financial assistance to help pay for their insurance coverage.
KQED:
6 Things To Know About Covered California Open Enrollment For 2019
Last summer, Trump and congressional Republicans failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but a few months later, they were able to repeal the ACA's individual mandate as part of their tax bill, meaning that individuals will no longer face a penalty if they choose not to buy health insurance. Since then, the Trump administration has also announced that it would again decrease the amount it spends on marketing to encourage people to sign up for insurance, and that it would not defend the ACA in a lawsuit arguing much of the health care law to be unconstitutional. (Levi, 10/15)
The California Health Report (healthycal.org):
As Open Enrollment Begins, Advocates Warn Of Continued Threats To Health Coverage
Californians will still have access to a broad range of health insurance plans, coverage guarantees and income-determined subsidies when the state’s health insurance exchange, Covered California, opens enrollment today for 2019. That’s good news, but state residents should remain wary of ongoing federal attempts to destabilize the current health care system, several health care advocacy groups warned last week in advance of the mid-term elections. If successful, these efforts could upend California’s progress toward decreasing the state’s uninsured rate, and leave millions of people vulnerable to inferior health insurance coverage or having no coverage at all, they said. (Boyd-Barrett, 10/15)