Covered CA Making Progress, but Challenges Remain

The Bay Area Council’s Healthcare Committee hosted a fascinating discussion this week (Oct. 5) about the current state of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces throughout the nation and expectations for the future of Covered California. Speakers included Blue Shield of California CFO Mick Murray, Covered California Deputy Director James DeBenedetti, and California Association of Health Plans Vice President of State Programs Athena Champman. With several large insurers recently pulling out of the ACA marketplaces, the committee discussed the impact on premium rates and explored ways to stabilize the marketplaces going forward. Fortunately, Covered California has been the nation’s greatest success story, with more enrollees than the next three states combined and the healthiest risk pool in the country. Still, Covered California is pursuing a robust media and marketing strategy to reach more people – including healthier populations – that may otherwise not elect to enroll in healthcare coverage. This will ultimately help to expand the risk pool and stabilize the market in the long term.

The Council has been a leading voice in helping to implement the Affordable Care Act in California, and we will continue working to ensure that all Californians have access to high quality, low-cost healthcare in the future. Special thanks to Dignity Health for hosting this meeting. To engage in the Council’s Healthcare work, please contact Policy Manager Emily Loper.