If you do not have a source of health care coverage or have recently lost your employer-sponsored health care coverage, here are some options you can explore. Contact the specific programs for more information.
COVERED CALIFORNIA:
Due to COVID-19, Covered California has made it so that you can apply for health insurance through June 30 if you are uninsured and eligible. People who sign up through Covered California will have access to private health insurance plans with monthly premiums. Low- or moderate-income Californians may be able to get help buying coverage from Covered California with financial help that lowers premium costs.
Your coverage start date depends on your qualifying life event. For these life events, coverage will start on the first day of the month following enrollment so that you won’t have a gap in coverage: needing coverage due to COVID-19, learning about the new penalty or state subsidies, losing Medi-Cal or job-based coverage, or getting married or registering a domestic partnership.
MEDI-CAL:
Medi-Cal offers free or low-cost health coverage for low-income California residents. Most people with Medi-Cal pay no premium or co-payments. You can apply for Medi-Cal at any time. If you are determined to be eligible for Medi-Cal, your coverage begins immediately, effective back to the first day of the month in which the application was submitted.
In addition to applying online or through your county social services department, individuals also can apply through a qualified hospital provider, using the Hospital Presumptive Eligibility Program. Applications can be filled out in a hospital and, if found eligible, coverage begins immediately, without having to wait for a full Medi-Cal application to process. In order to maintain coverage for more than two months, you must complete and submit a Medi-Cal application. You can only be determined eligible for Hospital Presumptive Eligibility once per year, so it is important to submit your Medi-Cal application before your HPE coverage expires.
A list of hospitals where you can sign up can be found on the DHCS website
Federal COBRA and Cal-COBRA: There are federal and state laws that let people continue their employer-sponsored health care coverage when a job ends or hours are reduced. The individual is required to pay the premiums themselves. People have 60 days to sign up for COBRA coverage once their previous coverage has ended. Visit or call the Department of Managed Health Care at 1-888-466-2219 dhs.lacounty.gov covid19.ca.gov
Medical Care Programs dhs.lacounty.gov dpss.lacounty.gov