Officials said thanks to a last-minute rush, a total of more than 425,000 people signed up for a health plan in Covered California's just-completed open enrollment period.
Exchange officials said nearly 100,000 consumers enrolled in just the last four days preceding the Jan. 31 deadline.
In this third open enrollment period, there was considerable buy-in from a crucial demographic: 37 percent of people who signed up were 18 to 34 years old.
Participation of young people is critical to the financial success of Covered California. That’s because they tend use their health insurance less often than older enrollees.
Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said social media is key with young adults. And that’s not all.
"Word of mouth is critical," Lee said. "And I think many young people have friends who talked to them over a beer, and said, ‘Oh yeah, I got that Covered California coverage, and it only cost me 30 bucks, 40 bucks.'"
The exchange will release enrollment breakdowns by county and ethnicity later this month, Lee said.
In the meantime, people who began their application for coverage before the Jan. 31 deadline can still enroll, but they'll have to complete the process by midnight Feb. 6.
