BAKERSFIELD,CA- Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is in its final weeks.
Saturday, March 15 is the last day to enroll if you want coverage starting April 1. However, March 31 is the last day to have insurance for 2014. that insurance will take effect May 1.
"It's best to start right now. Sometimes forms get filled out incorrectly and they realize they don't have all the information that they need and they have to go an find it for different family members," said Dana Howard the Deputy Director of Communications for Covered California.
The latest numbers released by the state show 8,118 people signed up in Kern County between October and January.
Once open enrollment closes, your chance to enroll with Covered California will not open again until October. Those who don't enroll in a health plan may face penalties.
"The biggest penalty is that you're not going to have coverage if something happens to you," said Howard.
Howard says a fee of $95 dollars or one percent of your income, which ever is greater, will be assessed by the federal government.
But some Kern County residents may get covered without paying anything. In Jan., eligibility requirements for Medi-Cal expanded to include nearly 38,000 residents.
"Childless adults can also apply where before if they were low income and they didn't have children there was no way for them to access Medi-Cal," said Assistant Director for the Department of Human Services, Pam Holiwell.
Approximately 52,000 county residents may qualify for income-based and federal subsidized coverage through Covered California.
Saturday, March 15 is the last day to enroll if you want coverage starting April 1. However, March 31 is the last day to have insurance for 2014. that insurance will take effect May 1.
"It's best to start right now. Sometimes forms get filled out incorrectly and they realize they don't have all the information that they need and they have to go an find it for different family members," said Dana Howard the Deputy Director of Communications for Covered California.
The latest numbers released by the state show 8,118 people signed up in Kern County between October and January.
Once open enrollment closes, your chance to enroll with Covered California will not open again until October. Those who don't enroll in a health plan may face penalties.
"The biggest penalty is that you're not going to have coverage if something happens to you," said Howard.
Howard says a fee of $95 dollars or one percent of your income, which ever is greater, will be assessed by the federal government.
But some Kern County residents may get covered without paying anything. In Jan., eligibility requirements for Medi-Cal expanded to include nearly 38,000 residents.
"Childless adults can also apply where before if they were low income and they didn't have children there was no way for them to access Medi-Cal," said Assistant Director for the Department of Human Services, Pam Holiwell.
Approximately 52,000 county residents may qualify for income-based and federal subsidized coverage through Covered California.