Covered California Launches the National 2022 11/4/21 Open-Enrollment Period From the Golden State With HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
Covered California welcomed Secretary Xavier Becerra of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to officially launch open enrollment across the nation for the 2022 coverage year. Open enrollment is a time when Americans can sign up for or renew their coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. This year, they could benefit from more financial help than ever before. “The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in the most robust open-enrollment campaign to date — with record-low prices, more choices and 30 more days to pick a plan than last season,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Health care should be a right and in reach for everyone. This open-enrollment season, we will get closer to achieving that goal.” The open-enrollment period begins with a record-high 12.2 million people enrolled in the federal and state marketplaces, including 1.6 million in Covered California. The increased enrollment has been driven by the new and expanded financial help available through the American Rescue Plan, as part of the landmark federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession it sparked. “Secretary Becerra and the Biden administration have shown that by building on the Affordable Care Act, we can go a long way toward achieving our goal of true universal coverage,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services secretary and chair of the Covered California Board of Directors. “Californians need to see what their coverage options are and find out how affordable insurance can be at CoveredCA.com.” A recent report found that California had reduced the rate of the uninsured to a record-low 6 percent of the population. For those who are still uninsured, the increased financial help is good news for the estimated 1.1 million Californians eligible for financial help. More than 85 percent of that group (about 940,000 people) could get comprehensive quality care with no monthly premium. “The Affordable Care Act is working both nationally and here in California, serving as a critical safety net for those who need coverage, and now is the time to sign up,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “The amount of financial help available through 2022, and for many years to come if the Build Back Better plan is enacted into law, will cover the entire cost of many people’s monthly premiums.” • The open-enrollment period for Affordable Care Act marketplaces begins on Nov. 1, and millions of Americans are eligible for more financial help than ever before. • Increased financial help builds on the Affordable Care Act to lower premiums throughout all of 2022, and potentially through 2025 with the proposed Build Back Better plan, helping millions of Americans get and stay covered. • While California has reduced the rate of the uninsured to historic lows, an estimated 1.1 million are still uninsured and eligible for financial help, with the vast majority able to get coverage at no cost through either Covered California or Medi-Cal. • With new subsidies, hundreds of thousands of middle-income people — both uninsured and those who purchase coverage directly from a health insurance company — can now save thousands of dollars a year on their premiums if they sign up through Covered California. • Covered California is also launching a new statewide ad campaign to encourage people to visit CoveredCA.com to check out their options and see how they can benefit from the new financial help now available. |
|