Covered California opens special health insurance enrollment period for wildfire survivors
Covered California is opening a special enrollment period to allow residents of 11 wildfire-ravaged counties to buy health insurance coverage if they do not already have it.
“The wildfires have disrupted the lives of thousands of people across the state, and we want to make sure those affected know they can get financial help to have quality health care coverage,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “Providing this path to coverage will ensure that those who have been affected by the fires have an opportunity to get quality coverage through Covered California or Medi-Cal.”
The special enrollment is open to residents of Alpine, Butte, El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency because of the Dixie Fire and other wildfires. Survivors will have 60 days from the date the emergency was declared to sign up.
Both the federal and state governments are providing subsidies to middle-income and working class people. Under the American Rescue Plan, which President Biden signed into law earlier this year, eligible enrollees will pay no more than 8.5% of their household income on health insurance premiums.
Covered California reports that because of the subsidies, roughly 700,000 state enrollees are paying $1 a month for coverage from a brand-name health plan.
“The American Rescue Plan is making coverage more affordable than ever,” Lee said. “We want to make sure that people who have had their lives disrupted, or who need health insurance, know that they can turn to Covered California to sign up for coverage.”
Wildfire survivors have reported physical injuries or illnesses such as burns and respiratory conditions, in addition to behavioral health issues.
To learn about your eligibility, visit the Shop and Compare tool at www.coveredca.com, or call (800) 300-1506 if you do not have internet access.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 4:54 PM.
