Covered California To Focus on Outreach Between Enrollment Periods

During an event last week, Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said the state health insurance exchange will focus on improving health literacy in the state and reaching out to Latino and black communities ahead of the next open enrollment period, the Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times reports.

Lee made the comments during the Barbara Lee & Elihu Harris Lecture at Merritt College on Thursday.

Details of Comments

During the event, Lee said the exchange is "relatively succeeding," but there still are "millions who did not get across that line to get coverage."

He added that efforts to enroll residents in health coverage are "only just beginning" and that the exchange plans to continue outreach with about 250 grassroots organizations.

Lee also said that "the human touch" will be needed to provide information about the health care law to individuals in low-income and minority communities and prisoners who have recently been released from incarceration.

Lee said, "When we look back 10 years from now, we'll say, 'Can you imagine a day when we didn't have (universal) health care?'" (Fancher, Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times, 4/27).