California begins open enrollment period for 2022
End of health insurance benefits may spur Americans back to work
Free insurance for millions of American ran out recently and some labor experts believe it could finally motivate more people to return to the workforce. Employers have found it hard to fill positions as the country recovers from the crushing economic downturn that coincided with the beginning of the pandemic.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Open enrollment for the nation’s largest state-run health insurance marketplace began Monday and runs through the end of January.
Covered California sells individual health insurance plans to people who can’t get coverage through their job. Some people, depending on how much money they make, are eligible for deep discounts on their monthly premiums. Even families making more than $100,000 per year are eligible for discounts.
Covered California says if everyone chose the cheapest plan, more than 70% of consumers would pay less than $10 per month.
Twelve insurance companies will sell plans on Covered California for 2022. How many choices you get depends on where you live. Covered California says everyone will have at least two options.
More than 12.2 million people are enrolled in state and federal marketplaces across the country, including 1.6 million in California.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra participated in a news conference in Sacramento on Monday to launch the open enrollment period. He said the only thing people should be worried is the quality of their health care, not how much it costs.
"That’s where we’re heading. That’s where President Biden wants to go," he said.