California Individual Health Insurance

For many workers in the U.S., one of the perks of being hired by a company is getting health insurance coverage from it. Employer-sponsored health coverage is the most common type of private health insurance in the country. Not everyone who works for a company or who provides services to a business is eligible for health insurance coverage from it, though. In many cases, part-time employees can’t get coverage. 

Independent contractors, or 1099 employees, also typically don’t get employer-sponsored health coverage. This is because independent contractors are technically self-employed. However, some companies might offer group health insurance to their independent contractors. Learn more about the difference between 1099 and other types of workers and what the health insurance options are for the self-employed.

The phrase “1099 employee” is technically a misnomer, as a person who gets paid on a 1099 basis is legally not an employee of a company. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)...

Due to the Federal UI Supplement of the American Rescue Plan, if someone has received unemployment insurance for at least one week in 2021, then they qualify for the following:

This discount is approved for the entire year of 2021. However, Covered California is not expected to implement this until August of this year. 

In July or August, Covered California plans to add the question about Unemployment Insurance to the CALHEERS application. If you affirm that you have received unemployment income in 2021, then you will receive rates based on an income that is 138.1% of the Federal Poverty Level. See Covered California Income Chart.

Note: Normally at 138.1% of FPL, children ages 0-18 would end up on Medi-Cal. However, this UI Discount will not cause children to end up on Medicaid/Medi-Cal who would not have qualified otherwise. Medi-Cal eligibility will still be based on the full income and the associated Federal Poverty Level.

Details are being worked out. We anticipate it working like thi...

Due to Proposition 22, app-based drivers working for companies like Uber, Lyft, Door Dash, Grub Hubb, etc. receive money toward their health care coverage from the app-based company. They can enroll through Covered California, receive subsidies, and receive additional money from the company toward the cost of their health care. However, they do need to submit documentation to prove they have enrolled in a health insurance plan.

Covered California announced today:

Proposition 22 Proof of Coverage forms are available today for PDF download. Because some app-based network companies have strict submission windows, consumers who are app-based drivers should upload their Proof of Coverage PDFs to their network company(ies) site as soon as possible. Some companies may not pay stipends for a Proof of Coverage document received after their specified date.

Please note: For future quarters, Proof of Coverage documents will be available the first day after the close of the quarter. For example, Qua...

by Stephen Saucier

If you’re shopping for Health Insurance in California you’ve probably got some questions. Or perhaps you have insurance but are having trouble understanding your plan. It can be hard to know where to turn. Regardless of your situation there may be free online resources available to you that can help.

State of California Office of the Patient Advocate

With open enrollment just around the corner you may be one of the many Californians in the market for a new Health Plan. Whether you’re currently without coverage or looking to switch plans, the Office of the Patient Advocate(OPA) can be a huge help to you. They offer a systematic breakdown of all the major insurance companies in California and give them star ratings based on their performance in lots of categories. The categories include:

If you or someone on your plan requires coverage in a specific category, with OPA you can see how each carriers care stacks up against the other.

California Department of Managed Heal...

by Esmeralda Mercado

Within the last few weeks Covered California sent out letters and emails advising many members that they need to provide proof of lawful presence, or else… So what happens if Covered California does not receive the documents they requested? What are these documents and is everyone required to provide them?

You should have received a notice from Covered California if:

If your Covered California insurance application was marked “Conditionally Eligible”, it means that you were qualified to enroll but it was subject to you providing additional documentation within the next 90 days. For many people, the Exchange actually extended the wait time to allow people more time during the first open enrollment. 

September 30, 2014 is the deadline to provide Covered California your proof of lawful presence. If they do not receive your documentation in time, they will be forced to cancel your health plan. They will have you pay back any tax subsidies that you received, and you...