Covered California organized a ten-day bus tour stops in San Jose, Oakland, Milpitas and San Francisco to encourage eligible Californians to get health coverage. #SpotlightOnCoverage, #coveredca

Covered California’s statewide bus tour came through the Bay Area for various news conferences encouraging all eligible Asian Pacific Americans, including those within the Indian community, to sign-up for affordable, quality coverage during open enrollment.

News conferences were held at various locations throughout the Bay Area, highlighting the more than 500 storefronts throughout the state providing culturally competent, in-language assistance for Covered California. These locations included PHP Insurance in San Jose, Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, ICAN in Milpitas and Keenan Direct in San Francisco. Those in attendance included Covered California’s Executive Director Peter V. Lee, California State Assemblymember Nora Campos (D-San Jose), Senior Vice President of Kaiser Medical Center Mark Fratzke, Asian Pacific American community members and many others.

“Reaching California’s diverse population is critical,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “This year we are spending more than we ever have on a monthly basis to promote coverage and enrollment.”

In addition to the Bus Tour, Covered California also launched a $29 million advertising campaign targeted at the state’s diverse population. The campaign features new messages with the tag line “It’s not just health care – it’s life care.”

“Life is unpredictable, and getting covered is more than just health care — it is life care. Covered California will be there for you through all of life’s ups and downs,” Lee said. “What’s predictable is that millions of Californians now have financial help to bring health care within reach.”

Covered California’s third open-enrollment period is aimed at reducing the number of uninsured Californians. An estimated 2.2 million uninsured Californians are eligible to get financial help to make their insurance affordable by enrolling in Covered California or Medi-Cal.

Open enrollment began Sunday, November 1, 2015 and will run through Sunday, January 31, 2016. Eligible Californians cannot be denied coverage and may even be eligible to receive federal subsidies to lower the cost of their coverage. Nearly 30,000 Certified Insurance Agents, Certified Enrollment Counselors and other representatives across California will be available to help consumers apply for health coverage. All assistance is free and confidential.

Please visit www.CoveredCA.com, where information is available in various languages including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and others.

Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. Covered California helps individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that is available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses can purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.

Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature.