Covered California nears 1.6 million enrollment amid virus pandemic

Nearly 1.6 million people have purchased health insurance through Covered California, state officials said Tuesday, a number that reflects the state’s high unemployment rate as millions of people have lost their jobs — and their employer- sponsored health coverage — during the pandemic.

Altogether,

nearly 200,000 more people have purchased health insurance this year compared with the same time period last year, a 14% increase. The deadline to purchase coverage is Jan. 31.

“I anticipate we will end this year with more people than ever insured through Covered California, which is not great news for for people who have lost their jobs,” Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said. “They may have lost their jobs, but they don’t need to lose coverage.”

Covered California’s enrollment declined three years in a row until 2020, when a new state law took effect that imposed a tax on people who don’t have health insurance. That same year, California spent millions of dollars on subsidies to help middle-income earners pay their monthly health insurance premiums — the first and only state to do that.

Enrollment surged again last summer, peaking at 1.53 million people after an additional 289,000 people purchased coverage during a special enrollment period because of the coronavirus. The new number announced Tuesday — 1.57 million — comes after the state again imposed a stayat-home order on most of the state following a surge of new cases. California surpassed 30,000 coronavirusdeaths on Monday.

Federal law lets people who don’t have health insurance through their jobs purchase coverage from private insurers through a state marketplace. Most states let the federal government run their marketplace for them. But California has its own marketplace, called Covered California.

For people who buy a plan through the marketplace, the federal government will help some of them pay a portion of their monthly premiums, depending on how much money they make. California is the only state to also offer assistance, meaning families of four that make up to $154,500 per year could be eligible for subsidies.

Nearly 90% of people with health plans through Covered California get some type of financial help. On average, Lee said that assistance covers 80% of a what the premium cost.