Understanding Covered California: A Beginner’s Guide
When it comes to your family’s healthcare needs in the Golden State, you’re covered — and at a very manageable cost. Probably less than you’d ever expect such a high level of health insurance to cost. Some Californians pay as little as $10 a month — or even less — for quality coverage through Covered California.
Read on for a brief introduction to Covered California, an understanding of how it works, and how to get coverage for your family or small business workers and their families.
How Does Covered California Work?
It all started in 2010 with the California version of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Among other benefits, Obamacare allowed the states to customize their ACA benefits and offer their own low-cost health insurance marketplace exclusively for state residents.
Thus, Covered California became the first state-run program in the nation to offer health insurance through ACA and statewide insurance companies. Its goal was — and still is — to make comprehensive healthcare in California available and affordable for everyone in every part of the state. If they qualify, eligible residents can get financial assistance through the program and pay nothing for their health insurance.
Your menu of health plans can include such brand names as Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, and United Healthcare. And that’s not for one single “take it or leave it” health insurance plan. You’ll have at least two plan options from which to choose, wherever you live in the state, and additional options are available in many areas.
Enroll in the state’s health insurance to help protect your family’s health. You can even offer it to the employees of your small business and their families if your company qualifies. Covered California provides access to brand-name healthcare plans that will comprehensively cover emergency and preventive care services, vision, dental, maternity and newborn care, pharmaceutical, mental health, and other needs.
The Covered California Enrollment Process Simplified
Start your enrollment process by making a free call to Acceptance at 877-423-5651 to find out if you qualify for free insurance or how much you’ll pay based on your household income, family size, and other factors.
One decision you’ll have to make is which level you wish to register for. The tiers are Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Bronze offers the lowest cost in monthly premiums, but you’ll pay more out of pocket when you seek care. On the other end of the cost scale, a Platinum plan costs more in monthly premiums, but you’ll pay less at the point of service when you or a family member need medical attention. Silver and Gold plans stake out the middle ground on cost.
You’ll also select where you’ll receive care, based on cost and other factors. Your choice here is between the HMO, PPO, and EPO models. The HMO model is the least expensive but more restrictive in terms of the facilities you must use when you seek services. The PPO is the least restrictive, but it costs more. The EPO is the middle choice between cost and place of care.
Sound confusing? It might seem that way at first, but you can get free help navigating the whole registration and plan selection process with Acceptance.
Key Dates for Enrollment
The time when most members will enroll in Covered California for 2025 is during the open enrollment period from Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, 2025. This is when any Californian can enroll in the plan.
However, if you have a qualifying life event that necessitates immediate coverage at any other time of the year, you can take part in special enrollment. Qualifying life events include moving to the state, losing your job and its group healthcare coverage, gaining U.S. citizenship, returning from the U.S. military, getting married, having a baby or adopting a child, among other events.
Financial Assistance Through Covered California
The whole mission behind this program is to make health insurance affordable for the state’s residents and their families. That’s why, when you go to the Quick Calculator page of the official Covered California website, you’ll be asked about your household income, the size of your family, and other questions to reveal what you can afford to pay for coverage.
Almost 90% of enrollees receive some kind of financial assistance to manage costs. One in five Californians is eligible for free health coverage.
To find out your cost of enrollment, simply call Acceptance at 877-423-5651. You’re almost sure to be pleasantly surprised. You really can afford quality and comprehensive health insurance when it is offered through Covered California.
Covered California for Small Business Owners
Qualifying smaller companies in the state can also receive Covered California benefits for their workforce. Some of those qualifications include:
- A workforce of between one and 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.
- The majority of those qualified employees must live in the Golden State.
- Qualifying companies might receive financial assistance in offering Covered California to their workforce through federal tax credits.
Visit Covered California for Small Business (CCSB) for a more comprehensive review of benefits and qualifications for small business owners regarding workforce inclusion in Covered California. Offering healthcare benefits to your employees gives your company a distinct competitive advantage and helps keep morale high and turnover low.
Overcoming Common Hurdles to Covered California Enrollment
As one of the most diverse states in the nation, more than 200 languages are spoken in the Golden State. That can make some state residents feel confused and frustrated when trying to gain benefits or otherwise interact with government agencies.
Covered California has responded to that challenge by making all information available in a dozen languages other than English. This includes Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, and Korean, among others.
Those who have had little or no exposure to the internet and don’t know how to register online can still easily get help even without speaking English. Simply call Covered California toll-free six days a week. In addition to English, phone help is available in Spanish and a multitude of other languages spoken around the world.
You can also walk into any of the storefront locations found all across the state and talk with a certified enrollment counselor who speaks your language. This assistance, as with all forms of Covered California enrollment help, is free.
In other words, help is always available for this program, regardless of your language, technical capabilities, or family income. Whatever hurdles you think you have in front of you, check in with the program, and you’re likely to find affordable solutions and dependable healthcare benefits for your family.
Acceptance Can Help Guide You Through the Process of Covered California Enrollment
In addition to the multiple options of enrollment assistance you’ll find through the Covered California program and website, you can also find valuable support from us at Acceptance Insurance. We’re bilingual and well-informed on the Covered California program and can answer all of your questions and help you navigate the sometimes confusing process of enrollment. This help is free.
Simply call us at 877-423-5651 .
No matter where you live in the Golden State, you can earn affordable healthcare coverage that includes doctors and hospitals near you through Covered California.
