Since the launch of the federal and state health insurance exchanges required under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), numerous speculations have abounded regarding the number of people enrolled, the solvency of the system, and the future of healthcare in America. With multiple problems plaguing the federal exchange website, news of individual state exchanges has taken a backseat. Finally, however, some facts are emerging on the success of Covered California, our state’s new health insurance exchange.
Two weeks into the implementation of the main phase of Obamacare, about 95,000 applications for health insurance had been initiated through the Covered California website. The state is not supplying actual numbers in regard to the number of people represented by these applications, as each application tends to represent a household rather than an individual. Some may be individuals, while many more may represent couples with children or single parents with children.
Actual enrollment figures are set to be released in November, according to state officials. At this point we will begin to see a more clear picture, as we will learn the number of people who have purchased a health insurance plan as well as the number of people now enrolling in the newly expanded Medi-Cal program.
One feature of the website has been removed temporarily so that glitches in the system can be fixed. The search tool which helps consumers see which doctors and hospitals are covered by particular plans was riddled with errors, so that feature of the website is undergoing reconstruction. Without that feature, many who are shopping for health insurance are having trouble getting answers to their questions. They can either wait for the provider tool to be reinstalled on the website, or call a licensed insurance broker directly to ask necessary questions about providers.
High traffic caused some delays and crashes on the exchange website during the first week of October, but officials are saying the frenzy has slowed enough that wait times are now improving. The state continues to add enrollment counselors to help consumers understand the system and enroll in an insurance plan. It is estimated that California needs 16,000 counselors to meet current demand for assistance. Currently, 279 have been licensed and another 3,824 are soon to be added.
Starting in January 2014, most Americans are required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty at tax time. In order to comply with the Obamacare, this means each household should review their options and purchase a plan by December 15 in order to have coverage in place by January 1. Officials expect a surge of activity on the exchange website during the second week of December as Californians rush to meet the deadline.
Steve Amante is the President and CEO of Amante & Associates Insurance Solutions, Inc. To learn more about Healthcare Reform contact Steve Amante or Frank Faldmo the firm’s Employee Benefits Advisor at (951) 676-8800 or visit: www.amanteandassociates.com.
