As Obamacare Deadline Approaches, South Kern Residents Review Their Coverage Status

March 20, 2014 /

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By Alfredo Camacho for South Kern Sol

The March 31 deadline to sign up for Affordable Care Act health plans is less than two weeks away. Those that do not have health coverage by the deadline face fines of up to one percent of their annual income, if they are not already insured.

But Central Valley residents are getting covered. Roughly 64,189 consumers in nine Central Valley counties have enrolled in subsidized and non-subsidized Covered California health insurance plans in the last three months, according to Covered California.  

On March 8, South Kern Sol went out to an enrollment assistance event at Rexland Acres Park and asked attendees, “Have you signed up for a health policy?”

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“No I’m not yet signed up, and I know we have to. I’ve just yet to do it.”

–Maria Padilla

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“I don’t qualify for Obamacare because I’m undocumented, but it’d be great if these benefits were extended to us. My family has emergency care through Medi-Cal, but thankfully we haven’t had to use it.”

–Jose Luis Aguila

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“We’re already in the program through Medi-Cal, so we signed up without any problems.”

–Maria Sanchez

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“We have Medi-Care because I’m old, I’m 68.”

–Arturo Alvarez

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“I heard that if you have health insurance already it doesn’t really affect you, and I have it through my employer.”

–Ofelia Valdez

In-person enrollment assistance is available to all South Kern residents. To search for help centers near you, click here.