As the year ends and Californians prepare for the next year, officials are working day and night to ensure 2021 is a change of reality for nearly everyone.
According to results of a recent survey, 56 percent of uninsured Californians are unaware of the new mandate. The study, conducted by Covered California – the state’s independent government insurance exchange – also “found that avoiding the penalty motivates those with health insurance to keep their coverage and encourages the uninsured to sign up.”
“He truly ‘walked the talk’ in his concern for making health care not just a right, but something that is affordable and centered on the great diversity of patients.”
Los Angeles community leaders gathered at Price Community Improvement Project’s Enrollment Center on November 13, joining Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce and Crenshaw Health Partners, as part of a statewide effort to mobilize community leaders to encourage eligible families and individuals to enroll in health coverage, particularly in the African-American community. Approximately 1.4 million people, about 2.5 percent of whom are African-American, now have coverage through Covered California. Meanwhile, tens of thousands more African-Americans in California remain uninsured, yet most are eligible for thousands of dollars in federal subsidies to help them pay their monthly premiums. This event
The event will offer information on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which began open enrollment on November 1
Though young and in good health, Marcus Sesay of Riverside enrolled for health insurance in 2015 to fulfill the mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Sesay, a 35-year-old native of Sierra Leone, was not motivated by free services like an annual checkup and other health screenings, but wanted to avoid the tax penalty consumers will face if they fail to get coverage in 2016. “Having insurance is the law, and I obey the law,” said Sesay, a security guard who has a plan with Health Net and pays $65 a month for his coverage. “Insurance also gives