Covered California Enrollment so Far Mostly Older, Sick People

Sacramento Business Journal by Kathy Robertson –

November 13, 2013:

Covered California enrolled 30,830 individuals in its new insurance marketplace during October, health benefit exchange officials announced Wednesday afternoon.

The program had expected to release its numbers Thursday, but scrambled to do it earlier after federal officials jumped ahead with their own report. Some of the numbers are different.

The federal tally put California at 35,364 — more than all 36 states in the entire federal exchange combined — but this tally extended through Nov. 2, Covered California chief Peter Lee explained in a press call.

The lower number still aces other states and the federal program. The federal program eked out 26,794, according to federal tallies. Among other states with their own programs, New York was second, with 16,404; Washington, third, with 7,091 and Kentucky fourth, with 4,586.

The numbers are cranking up in California.

“If you add our numbers for Nov. 1 through 12, an additional 29,000 have selected a plan, so we looking at doubling our numbers this month,” Lee said.

Covered California had a total of 97,494 completed applications in October; 85,960 of those were determined eligible for enrollment in the program. A total of 4,852 individuals were deemed eligible for subsidies, while 25,987 were not.

“Enrollments in October were not your average 27-year-old,” Lee said. “It was older folks and people with significant health conditions, but we expect that to change in November and December.”

Information about plan choices, level of coverage selected and other specifics will be released at a Covered California board meeting in Sacramento on Nov. 21.

Source: John & Rusty Report via Choice Admin