Covered California enrollment deadline extended to Dec. 21

MENDOCINO CO., 12/12/18 — The deadline to sign up for the state health care program, Covered California, to receive health care coverage beginning in January, 2019 has been extended to Dec. 21. Covered California is the state program that runs California’s health insurance exchange, where you can purchase health insurance and received subsidies for that purchase through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as Obamacare. It’s also the simplest way to be enrolled in Medi-Cal.

The ACA has been challenged in court essentially since it passed into law and last week a federal judge in Texas ruled it unconstitutional, but this does not in anyway impact Covered California’s open enrollment period. That judge issued no injunction against the law, meaning that until the appeals process finishes up, likely at that U.S. Supreme Court, the law remains unaltered and in effect — and Covered CA is stressing that the ruling has no effect on health programs in California currently. In the long run, whether or not Obamacare, Covered CA, and the expanded form of Medi-Cal that it has enabled, continue to exist will depend on the Supreme Court.