Covered California spokesman Dana Howard and Gary Rotto, public policy director for the Council of Community Clinics, discuss open enrollment on KPBS Evening Edition.
By Kenny Goldberg
Click here to listen to a KPBS Midday Edition segment with more information on open enrollment.
Open enrollment in Covered California begins this Saturday. Officials with the online health insurance exchange say they’re trying a variety of approaches to get the word out.
About 1.2 million Californians got coverage through the exchange last year. Covered California wants to get 500,000 more signed up.
The exchange’s executive director, Peter Lee, said he wants to get young adults insured.
“We are doubling down on our social media outreach,” Lee explained. “This is something that is used extensively by younger people. You can see a huge amount of social media that is out there now, and we’re gonna be pushing that a lot.”
Lee said it’s also crucial to enroll more Latinos, who make up 38 percent of Californians eligible for insurance subsidies.
One of the challenges in enrolling more Latinos was fear, he said. Those who enroll in Covered California could be putting family members at risk of deportation.
The exchange has launched TV ads aimed at dispelling that belief. The ads explain that Covered California does not share information with immigration officials.