Covered California Begins Open Enrollment
California kicked off the new national requirement for healthcare Tuesday with open enrollement for a program called Covered California.
Covered California is an online marketplace where Californians can compare and choose healthcare plans. Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrated with Angelenos at Union Station, encouraging the community to enroll.
Eligibility for Covered CA is based on annual income and household size. According to CoveredCA.com, it's estimated that about 500,000 to 700,000 people will enroll by April.
Other organizations throughout Los Angeles also held events to educate people about the program. Asian Americans Advancing Justice is one of 48 organizations given funding for outreach.
Geoffrey Joyce, the Director of Health Policy at USC's Schaeffer Center said while he is supportive of the program, there are flaws in the system. "You have to understand that we're moving from a very fragmented entrenched system to something that we want to make better," Joyce explained. "It's not as if we're redesigning a new program from scratch, but rather trying to improve a very disfunctional, fragmented system today."
