Consumers get another week for Covered California enrollment that starts Jan. 1

Covered California has extended its signup period for people who want their health insurance coverage to begin Jan. 1.

Peter Lee, executive director of the state health exchange, announced the extended deadline Thursday when a promotional bus tour made a stop in Modesto. Consumers have until Dec. 22 to choose an insurance plan that will provide coverage starting New Year’s Day. The previous deadline was Friday.

The state health exchange, created by the Affordable Care Act, has signed up 182,000 new enrollees this fall on top of 1.2 million Californians renewing coverage. Lee said Covered California is one of the health exchanges in the country that remains successful. Monthly premiums for households eligible for financial help are about 10 percent lower for 2018.

A bus tour is one of the tools for aggressively marketing the exchange amid uncertainty created this year by political battles over the Affordable Care Act. About 400,000 new enrollments are needed each year to replace consumers who leave the exchange for better insurance or the Medicare program, Lee said.

The Covered California promotional bus stopped Thursday at the Golden Valley Health Center on Sixth Street, where an artist has been commissioned to paint a mural.

For those unable to meet the Dec. 22 deadline, the enrollment window for 2018 coverage remains open until Jan. 31.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 7:47 PM with the headline "Consumers get another week for Covered California enrollment that starts Jan. 1."