Updates on possible impacts to California with proposed health care reforms to the existing federal Affordable Care Act
In the latest effort to repeal key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a U.S. Senate amendment was proposed on Sept. 13 — commonly referred to as the Graham-Cassidy plan — and was subsequently withdrawn because the proposed plan did not have sufficient votes to pass. Covered California officials stated that the proposed Cassidy-Graham plan, if passed, would have caused severe disruptions to the millions of people who depend on Covered California and Medi-Cal for health coverage, and a dire cut to the federal funds provided to support these vital programs. You can view Covered California’s full analysis of the potential impacts of the proposed Cassidy-Graham plan here.
Covered California’s renewal period begins Oct. 11
If you have an existing health plan through Covered California, the renewal period runs Oct. 11, 2017 through Jan. 31, 2018. If you don’t make any changes to your current health plan by Dec. 15, 2017, you will be automatically renewed for coverage under your existing plan, unless you have an Anthem Blue Cross of California health plan in the 16 affected pricing regions where the company has withdrawn services (all Covered California regions accept Northern California counties, Central Valley, and Santa Clara County).
During the renewal process, all consumers will have an opportunity to shop for a new plan by working with a Certified Insurance Agent, the Covered California Service Center or another certified enroller. Those Anthem Blue Cross consumers who need to move to a new plan and choose not to actively shop will be renewed automatically into the lower-cost plan in their same metal tier. They can change that plan during open enrollment if they choose.
Medi-Cal renewal happens throughout the year, occurring on the anniversary of the member’s enrollment in Medi-Cal.
You can find more information about renewing Covered California and Medi-Cal health plans here.
Covered California proves that effective marketing and outreach pay big dividends
Covered California released a new report on Sept. 13, titled “Marketing Matters: Lessons from California to Promote Stability and Lower Costs in the National and State Individual Insurance Markets.” The report’s analyses show that if the federal government conducted marketing and outreach at a level similar to California, it would invest 10 times more than currently budgeted, could result in lower premiums and 2.1 million more enrollees, and generate a return on investment of more than three-to-one. You can view the full report here.
You get FREE preventive health care services with all Covered California and Medi-Cal health plans
All Covered California and Medi-Cal health plans in the state are required to offer FREE preventive health care services for adults and children. This includes immunizations and vaccinations, blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings, cancer screenings, and depression screenings. A full list of the FREE preventive health care benefits with Covered California and Medi-Cal health plans can be found for adults here and for children here.
Covered California open enrollment starts on Nov. 1, so look out for our next updates with all the details!
