ABC7 SoCal Spotlight: Covered California

Open enrollment for health coverage in California for 2019 is happening now and will end on January 31, 2018.

We are putting health insurance in the SoCal Spotlight with James Scullary from Covered California.

Covered California is the health insurance marketplace in the state of California that negotiates on behalf of consumers to help bring high quality health care coverage, and is the only place consumers can go to see if they can get some financial help in paying for that coverage.

"Now is the time for consumers to take a look around, see if they qualify for that financial help and sign up for coverage" James tells us. "This is a way for consumers who maybe they're entrepreneurs, self-employed, whatever it is, this is a way for them to get some help in getting health insurance."

But is Covered California quality health care? The answer is yes. Covered California offers eleven brand name plans - plans that we all know and have grown up with and see in and around Los Angeles.

"If you don't have health insurance, this is the time you can sign up", James explains. Consumers can sign up for health care coverage or, if they're already covered can shop around for new plans.

"You can easily check whether or not you qualify for financial help". James also suggests that even if you've checked before, you should check again because your financial situation may have changed. Based on your income, your age and where you live there's a sliding scale of how much financial help in the form of a premium tax credit you can receive.

You can sign up for Covered California via their website, www.CoveredCA.com, or by calling them at 1-800-300-1506.