Thursday, February 17, 2011

5 Million Uninsured Could be Covered by 2014

From the LOS ANGELES TIMES: Millions of Unisured May Gain Access to Coverage by 2014
Nearly 5 million uninsured Californians could gain access to health coverage in 2014 when the nation's healthcare law expands eligibility for subsidized insurance programs for the poor, according to a new report. At that time, more than two-thirds of the state's 7 million uninsured residents will be eligible for California's Medi-Cal insurance program, which serves the state's poorest people, or for federal subsidies aimed at those who earn more but have no coverage through their jobs. Many of the newly insured would be low-income adults who have long been unable to don't qualify for Medi-Cal, which applies only to families. The rules will change in 2014 to include adults without children. "It is good news that there is help on the way for millions of people," said researcher Shana Alex Lavarreda, of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, which produced the study being released Tuesday. But the state faces significant challenges as it works to enroll millions of new people for insurance. The UCLA analysts noted that nearly 1 million uninsured children and adults who were eligible for low-income insurance programs last year were not enrolled because of the complexity of both the application process and eligibility requirements.

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