Expanded Subsidies Help Grow California Exchange Enrollment
California’s health insurance exchange, Covered California, expanded enrollment by 1.6% year over year for 2020, according to preliminary results released on Feb. 18 — figures that were highly anticipated since the state was testing new policies this year aimed at encouraging additional insurance signups.
Indeed, California attributed its enrollment growth to its newly expanded subsidies and robust marketing efforts by the state and payers. California now offers premium subsidies to people earning up to 600% of the federal poverty level (FPL), as the result of legislation passed last year and approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), such subsidies typically only apply to people earning up to 400% of the FPL, unless a state chooses to provide funding for an expanded population.