Latest California Healthline Stories
Grassroots Campaigns Hope To Increase Latino Enrollment in Exchange
Lizelda Lopez from Covered California, Tracy Ream from Neighborhood Healthcare in Escondido, Gregory Talavera from San Diego State University’s Graduate School of Public Health and California Sen. Norma Torres spoke with California Healthline about the reasons for low exchange enrollment and possible ways to increase Latino participation.
Latino Issues at Exchange Prompt Bill Proposing Change in Board Composition
A bill introduced in the state Senate yesterday aims to alter the makeup of the Covered California board of directors and proposes other changes to widen the scope of board expertise.
Exchange Vows Major Improvement for Call Center Wait Times, Website
Covered California is hiring 350 new workers to answer phones and is planning website upgrades in an effort to improve the customer experience at the state’s new insurance exchange.
Looking Back, Some Obamacare Glitches Didn’t Matter. These Four Still Do.
For all the talk about broken websites, some of the high-profile problems with the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges turned out to be surmountable. But other complications have emerged and remain concerning.
Exchange Hopes New Hires Will Improve Service, Increase Minority Enrollment
Covered California board members hope hiring more enrollment helpers and increasing marketing will ease concerns over low minority enrollment and inadequate customer service.
625,000 Enrolled in Health Exchange
More than 500,000 Californians signed up for health insurance through Covered California in time to receive coverage by Jan. 1, and recent enrollment pushes the total to 625,000 at the halfway point of the exchange’s first open enrollment period.
This Program Was Bigger Than Covered California. Why Did We Ignore It?
By December 2013, nearly 700,000 people had obtained health coverage through California’s Low-Income Health Program, the state’s early expansion of Obamacare coverage — and the “most overlooked” part of health reform, one expert tells California Healthline. Here’s a look at lessons to be learned from the LIHP.
Most Small Health Plans Aren’t Thriving in Covered California. Meet Two Exceptions.
One small health insurer dropped out of Covered California. Another was kicked out, and a third is openly hunting for business. But a pair of plans are successfully competing with the big players dominating the exchange and carving out a slice of the market for themselves.
Exchange Extends Payment Deadline
Californians who signed up for health insurance through Covered California will get a little extra time to pay premiums. Insurers agreed to extend the deadline for payment until Jan. 15.
Exchange Applications Hit Million Mark
More than one million Californians have applied for coverage through Covered California in the first three months of the new health insurance exchange. About 400,000 completed the process and were enrolled by Dec. 22.