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Covered California Enrollment Strong Among Young Adults, Weak Among Spanish-Speakers

Covered California enrollment from Oct. 1 to Nov. 19.
Covered California
Covered California enrollment from Oct. 1 to Nov. 19.

The state's insurance exchange, Covered California, has enrolled 79,891 Californians in new insurance policies since Oct. 1, with 18,000 signing up last week.

Speak City Heights is a media collaborative aimed at amplifying the voices of residents in one of San Diego’s most diverse neighborhoods. (Read more)

Executive director Peter V. Lee offered a snapshot Thursday of who's enrolling. He says 18- to 34-year-olds are signing up at a rate in line with their proportion of the population.

"That's very good news," Lee said at a Covered California board meeting. "We want to get everyone insured. Our sustainability over the long term is about having a good risk mix."

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Consumers younger than 35 make up nearly 30 percent of those with Covered California plans. The rate for children is low — 5 percent — because families with kids are more likely to be eligible for Medi-Cal.

October Covered California enrollment by age.
Covered California
October Covered California enrollment by age.

Lee said those families, as well as individuals newly eligible for Medi-Cal under the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, are also benefitting from Covered California. The exchange offers Medi-Cal enrollment to those who discover they're eligible on the site.

Lee says 140,000 Californians have enrolled in Medi-Cal through the exchange so far. He says, in total, California has 1 million residents signed up to gain Medi-Cal coverage Jan. 1. Many are already in Low Income Health Programs — transitional coverage designed to jumpstart the Medicaid expansion. They'll automatically roll over to Medi-Cal next year.

Lee noted one area for improvement: enrolling non-English speakers. Just 3.2 percent of enrollees are Spanish speakers. Lee says that number should increase as more community groups are trained to help with in-person enrollment.

October Covered California enrollment by language.
Covered California
October Covered California enrollment by language.

Californians have until March 31 to sign up for health insurance through Covered California. The deadline for coverage that starts Jan. 1 is Dec. 15.