LOS ANGELES, CA, December 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Like many others, Antonio González lost his job when the company he worked for closed its doors due to the economic downturn created by COVID. In early December, Antonio decided to call Covered California to find out if he qualified for low-priced health insurance.
«I called Covered California to see I can get insurance. I lost my job and medical insurance, and now I don’t know what to do if I get sick? I’m afraid I don’t have insurance,» Antonio added.
Covered California recently announced that it extended the deadline to enroll and that, for the first time, it will give consumers the opportunity to sign up until December 30 to begin their coverage on January 1, 2021. All consumers are asked to do is make their first payment immediately.
«The pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on our lives and Covered California wants to give those who don’t have health insurance the chance to have the time to enroll and start 2021 with health coverage,» said Peter V. Lee,CEO of Covered California.
According to official data, there are about 1.2 million Californians who qualify for subsidies through Covered California or MediCal and who do not know it. It is estimated that more than half, about 650,000 of these people are Latino.
The amount of financial aid consumers receive will vary depending on their age, annual household income, and the cost of health care in your region.
For Gonzalez, having health insurance is better than buying something that lasts more than a couple of weeks. «I’d rather buy insurance than something else that’s not going to work or I’m not going to like in a few months,» he said.
For more information or to speak with a certified agent call 1-866-438-6760.
www.coveredca.com/espanol
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Estimated number of unen sure people who can receive financial aid through California or Medi-Cal
| Metro Region | Unsafe people who qualify for financial aid |
| North California & Sacramento Valley | 139,000 |
| Bay Area | 122,000 |
| Central Coast | 60,000 |
| San Joaquin, Central Valley, Kern | 163,000 |
| Los Angeles | 338,000 |
| Inland Empire | 192,000 |
| Orange | 88,000 |
| San Diego | 100,000 |
| Total | 1,202,000 |