In Brief: Covered California Enrollment Robust; Child Vaccination Rate Increases
Covered California Reports Robust Enrollment
Covered California and the state Department of Health Care Services have reported strong demand from consumers for both commercial and Medi-Cal enrollment, the health insurance exchange reported.
According to Covered California, just under 49,000 consumers have enrolled in commercial plans since the open enrollment period began on Nov. 15, while more than 81,200 others have determined to be eligible for commercial coverage, although they have yet to pick a specific plan.
Another 116,000 individuals were enrolled into Medi-Cal while another 44,295 people were determined to be likely eligible for Medi-Cal. According to DHCS officials, about 75% of Medi-Cal applicants are immediately enrolled into the program. Altogether, Medi-Cal has enrolled about 2.2 million people to date this year.
By comparison, it took six weeks to reach the same number of eligibility determinations last year, and four weeks to reach the same number of plan selections.
“The pace of enrollment is strong, at rates far exceeding those we saw last year, but open enrollment is only three months long this time around, so we are working hard to continue to get the word out,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee in a statement. “As we approach the Dec. 15 deadline to enroll for coverage starting Jan. 1, we encourage everyone in California to explore their options and get covered for 2015.”
Child Vaccination Rate Inreases Significantly
The number of kindergarten-age children whose parents deliberately opted out of vaccinations prior to enrollment dropped about 20% during the current school year, according to new data from the California Department of Public Health.
Altogether, the exemption vaccination rate dropped to 2.5% statewide for the current school year, down from about 3.1% during the 2013-14 school year, although that still means more than 13,200 children are attending school unvaccinated.
The decline in non-vaccinated children may have something to do with a specific personal belief statement parents or guardians of children who are enrolling in kindergarten have to fill out. The statement was introduced for the current school year. Along with filling out the forms, the parents or guardians also have to obtain a signature from a physician affirming that they have been informed of the risks and benefits of vaccinations.
California has been hit in recent years with some of the highest rates of whooping cough, measles and other diseases that can be prevented through vaccination. And while the state mandates vaccinations against nine different diseases, many parents have refused to vaccinate their children, stating fears of contracting autism from the preservatives used in the vaccine, which has been disproved scientifically.
That standoff has prompted a highly public debate as to whether fears about having children vaccinated outweigh the benefits of the herd immunity vaccination confers.
