Sign up for health insurance or face a penalty, Covered California says as deadline looms
San Luis Obispo County residents without health insurance — along with others statewide — have a Friday deadline to sign up for Covered California, a free service that connects Californians with brand-name health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Peter Lee, Covered California’s executive director, told The Tribune by phone during a media blitz along the coast that people may not be aware that this year a penalty on taxes will kick in if residents remain uninsured.
The tax penalty for being uninsured can range between $700 for an individual to $2,000 for a family of four, Lee said.
Additionally, new state subsidies are designed to help middle class families afford their health insurance, Lee said.
“Statewide, about 1.4 million people are covered,” Lee said. “And about 1 million are eligible for state subsidies.”
Consumers with a household income that ranges from $49,960 to $74,940 per individual, or $103,000 to $154,500 for family of four, could be eligible for a subsidy.
Subsidies vary based on age, income and cost of health care in an area.
But the cost savings could be as much as $17,000 a year, and a middle class consumer could pay $420 per month for the lowest-cost Silver plan, according to a typical Covered California scenario.
Details of the different plans, including whether residents qualify, costs, and the differences between health care options, are available at www.coveredca.com.
In SLO County, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, about 33,000 individuals were enrolled as of April 2019, with 93% eligible for subsidies, according to Covered California officials.
Lee urged people without insurance to sign up and ensure they’ll be protected in a catastrophic situation.
“Someone without insurance might have an emergency and walk out of the hospital with a $100,000 bill,” Lee said. “Under Covered California, all you’d spend is $6,000 in a year, and you’d be protected from being driven into bankruptcy.”
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