San Diego, CA –Beginning on October 1, 2013, uninsured Californians will be eligible to purchase health insurance coverage through Covered California. This program is a State mandated version of the Affordable Care Act. This Act was adopted by the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2009 and was signed by President Obama in March 2010. It is commonly referred to as Obamacare.
There are 33.2 million residents in California, of whom 22% are uninsured. This week, uninsured U.S. residents will be offered the opportunity to purchase health insurance coverage, with no annual limits and no denials for pre-existing conditions.
The San Diego Black Health Associates (SDBHA), under a subcontract with the California Black Health Network, has been selected to provide information services about enrollment, and health plan choices under Covered California.
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable care Act. Covered California was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans.
With coverage starting in January, 2014, Covered California will help individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that will be available on a sliding scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and chose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget.
The mission of Covered California is to increase insured Californians, improve health care quality, lower costs, reduce health disparities, and provide choice and value to the residents of this state. These services are being brought to you by Covered California. It is one of the first state health exchanges formed under the Affordable Care Act. Established in this state as the California Health Benefit Exchange, it offers access to name-brand health insurance policies.
Some of the health plans offered under Covered California in San Diego County include Blue Shield, Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, Molina Health Plan, Sharp Health Plan and LA Care Health Plan. Dental coverage will be made available for children under five (5) dental plans – Anthem, Blue Shield, Premier Access Dental and Vision, Delta Dental of California and Liberty Dental Plan.
There are nearly 20,000 counselors statewide who have been selected from diverse backgrounds and trained to help consumers with information, education and the enrollment process. The mission of SDBHA is to improve the health status of people of color in San Diego County through information, education. It is a non-profit organization located in Southeast San Diego.
For further information, please contact SDBHA at (619) 906-4002 or email us at [email protected]
