The deadline is closing in for new applicants to the Health Care Exchange, otherwise known as Covered California. Open enrollment for the calendar year ends on March 31.
All legal residents in the United States were required to have health insurance as of January 2014 as part of the Affordable Care Act. Applicants with pre-existing medical conditions can no longer be denied coverage.
According to the latest figures, more than three million California residents have enrolled in private health plans or Medi-Cal through Covered California and hundreds of thousands more have applied but not yet completed enrollment.
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Here is how you can get insured:
1) Call Covered California at 1-800-300-1506.
Find out what's happening in San Rafaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
2) Apply at www.coveredca.com. Depending on your income, you may be eligible for free or subsidized health insurance. You can calculate your monthly or annual health care costs on the website.
3) Apply in person at one of the Marin County Health and Human Services (HHS) public assistance offices. Call 473-3400 for more information.
The Affordable Care Act does not affect coverage for people with health insurance provided through their employer or through Medicare.
Marin HHS, with the support of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, has been tirelessly working to implement new coverage by adding eligibility workers and streamlining services. County staff has held dozens of meetings and public presentations about the Affordable Care Act and remains committed to help everyone who is eligible obtain health insurance.
The next opportunities to get information or enroll will be 2-5 p.m. March 19 at the Novato Library and 2-5 p.m. and March 26 at the library branch inside the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael.
Visit coveredmarin.org to get updates on public presentations and the most current information about ACA implementation in Marin.
