South San Francisco Residents Encouraged to Sign Up for Covered California on Saturday

The following is a news release from the County of San Mateo Health System:

The 2015 enrollment period for Californians to sign up for affordable health insurance begins on Saturday, November 15. Tens of thousands of San Mateo County residents will be able to join over three million people who now have affordable health coverage through California’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act and Covered California, the State’s health insurance marketplace.

An effective enrollment process is the first step to give people access to affordable health care. Over 52,000 County residents successfully signed up for health insurance during the 2014 enrollment period with over 24 in-person enrollment locations available to help. Local efforts in supporting these residents made San Mateo County Health System the highest enrollment government entity in the state.

The Health System estimates that more than 30,000 County residents still need affordable health coverage and may qualify for financial help.

Covered California selected San Mateo County Health System and four community partners to receive $300,000 in Navigator Grant Program funding. This funding will help to raise public awareness, motivate, and connect County residents to health coverage by providing additional in-person assistance through 62 Certified Enrollment Coordinators at eight locations across the County during business hours and some evenings and Saturdays. The grant funding will also help to provide cultural and linguistic support to meet the needs of the County’s population, and promote the “no-wrong-door” approach that provides a new seamless process using a single application to determine and enroll an individual in the most appropriate plan based on income and other criteria.

“Our partnerships with trusted, community based organizations will help every uninsured resident gain access to quality, affordable health insurance,” said Srija Srinivasan, San Mateo County Health System Director of Strategic Operations. “Health insurance helps people stay healthy by covering preventive services such as flu shots and services to treat more chronic conditions such as diabetes. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be in good health and have peace of mind that they are financially covered when they may need it the most.”

There are several deadlines for people to be aware of. The first is December 15, 2014, which is the enrollment deadline to begin coverage on January 1, 2015. December 15th is also the deadline to renew or change existing Covered California health insurance to maintain continuous coverage, as well as the deadline to avoid paying a tax penalty.

The deadline to enroll in Covered California health coverage in 2015 is February 15, 2015, which is also the deadline to apply for financial assistance.

“Gaining health coverage helps not only the person enrolling, but also their family and the entire community,” said Iliana Rodriguez, Director of San Mateo County’s Human Services Agency. “Whether residents apply for health coverage during this enrollment period, or for Medi-Cal year-round, this is a vital opportunity. We are ready to assist our community in obtaining long-needed support in maintaining their health and well-being.”

San Mateo County residents can enroll through Covered California’s website www.CoveredCA.com. Local in-person assistance is available by calling 650-616-2002 or 800-223-8383, and at locations across our County. A list of enrollment locations and times as well as the languages spoken at each center is available at www.smchealth.org/CoveredCA.

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