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Health

Covered California Kicks Off Third Open-Enrollment Period

Covered California Kicks Off Third Open-Enrollment Period
About 2.2 million Californians who are eligible for a subsidized plan or Medi-Cal remain uninsured.

Covered California has launched its third open-enrollment season with a $29 million ad campaign and a 38-stop statewide bus tour.

It's all part of the effort to entice more people who are uninsured to enroll in a health plan.

The new ad campaign stresses the importance of having health insurance for the unexpected.

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About 2.2 million Californians who are eligible for a subsidized plan or Medi-Cal remain uninsured. Covered California’s Executive Director Peter Lee said that’s down from more than 5 million people two years ago.

“We have brought in more than 3 million in what is the beginning of changing from, people thinking they’ve got no hope, to having financial help to get coverage," Lee said. "So, the fact that we still have 2 million left, shows that we’ve made progress, but that we aren’t done.”

Lee said he and other exchange officials are on the statewide bus tour to drive home the message that health coverage is affordable.

The exchange hopes to enroll up to 450,000 new customers by the end of January, when this season's open-enrollment period ends.