Covered California open enrollment is nearly over. Buy a 2025 health plan or pay tax penalty
Covered California will set a new membership record when it closes enrollment Friday night with more than 1.9 million state residents buying a health plan through the insurance marketplace.
“Uninsured Californians are taking advantage of the unprecedented financial help available to help pay for coverage in 2025, as we have seen robust sign-ups throughout the state and reached our all-time record sign-ups before the end of open enrollment,” said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman.
As of Sunday, Altman reported, insurers had sold policies to 299,060 state residents who were not covered through Covered California in 2024. That is a 13% increase in this population over the same period last year.
Another 1,638,954 Californians have renewed their health insurance plans, a 10% increase over the comparable period in 2024.
If Californians don’t buy a health plan by 11:59 p.m. Friday, they will only be able to sign up next year if they have a major life change such as a layoff or aging out eligibility for their parents’ health plan.
Although enrollment has seen big gains, data show that 591,000 uninsured Californians qualify for subsidies that would lower the cost of a Covered California policy. Nearly 90% of Covered California’s enrollees receive financial help, the agency reported Wednesday, and two-thirds of those enrollees qualify for a health plan that costs $10 or less each month.
Because of changes in federal regulations, more people actually qualify for the federal financial help. All Californians wh earn more than 200% of the federal poverty level — $30,120 for a single person and $62,400 for a family of four — are eligible.
Covered California also helps many people get enrolled in free health coverage through Medi-Cal, and the agency noted that there are 675,000 state residents who are eligible for Medi-Cal but have not enrolled.
You can get more information or get enrolled by visiting coveredca.com or calling (800) 300-1506.
There’s a tax penalty for people who don’t buy health insurance coverage for the entire year. It will be at least $900 per adult and $450 per dependent child under 18 in the household, Covered California stated, so a family of four who goes uninsured for the whole year would face a penalty of at least $2,700.
