In Brief: Covered California Final Enrollment Almost 1.4 Million

Covered California Final Enrollment Figures Neared 1.4 Million

The final numbers for the first open enrollment period for the Covered California insurance exchange are in, and they smashed all enrollment projections.

Covered California reported on Thursday that 1.395 million people obtained coverage through the exchange. That's nearly double the most optimistic projections that had been made by University of California researchers before open enrollment began last fall.

Enrollment between April 1 and April 15 topped 205,000. That included more than 50,000 on the final day of enrollment.

Altogether, 1,222,320 enrollees, about 88%, were eligible for income-based financial subsidies to help cover the cost of their health insurance premiums.

Along with the Covered California enrollees, the Department of Health Care Services reported that 1.9 million residents also enrolled into the Medi-Cal program. Of those, 1.1 million obtained coverage through the exchange based on the income levels they reported during the application process.

Latino enrollment, which had lagged in the early weeks of Covered California's operation, also surged, and now represent 28% of the total. Among younger enrollees 18 to 34 years of age, enrollments comprised 29% of the total. That age group comprised a quarter of California's population but more than a third who qualify for subsidies.

“Bringing health insurance and healthcare to so many Californians is a big achievement that was accomplished in no small measure by the work of our employees, our partners at the Department of Health Care Services, insurance agents, certified enrollment counselors, county partners and community organizations who spread the word about this historic initiative,”said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “We are proud of what California has achieved, but recognize this is only the beginning of a long road of expanding affordable coverage to all Californians.”

Kaiser Assists DEA In Drug Return Progam

Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California division has teamed with the Drug Enforcement Administration to take back prescription drugs that are no longer needed by patients.

Kaiser is sponsoring a dozen “take-back” centers on April 26 as part of the national prescription drug take-back day. The centers are at the site of Kaiser hospitals or medical officed.

Deaths from prescription drug overdoses in the United States have been rising in recent years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many such overdoses are due to drugs that were obtained via friends and family members, often by simply taking unused drugs out of medicine cabinets, officials said.

In 2013, Kaiser Southern California successfully took back more than 3.5 tons of unneeded prescription medications, according to officials.

If patients are unable to dispose of drugs at dropoff centers, Kaiser is providing mailback envelopes for purchase at its pharmacies.