Covered CA

After enrolling, new members will receive a welcome letter and a brochure from Covered California. You will also get an enrollment package and membership ID card from your health insurance company.

You can use services covered by your health insurance plan starting the next month after you make your first payment, even before your membership ID card has arrived.

If you are newly enrolled in a health insurance plan through Covered California, you will receive a membership ID card from your health insurance company after it receives your first payment.

If you were covered one year and you renewed and kept the same health insurance plan, you can keep your current card for the following year. If you change coverage, such as metal tiers or health insurance companies, your health insurance company will send you a new welcome packet and health insurance card after receiving payment.

Copays are the set amount you pay for a covered health care service. Copays will never exceed what the service actually costs. For example, if a lab test costs $20 and the lab copay is usually $40, you’ll only pay $20.

Deductible is the name for the amount of money you have to pay in one year before your plan starts to pick up the costs.

Coinsurance is your share of costs for a covered health care service. It’s calculated as a percentage. For example, under a Bronze plan, you would pay 40 percent of the total cost of a wheelchair or oxygen tank after meeting your deductible, and your plan would pay for the remaining 60 percent.

Covered California compares the information you enter on your application with government data sources or information you have provided before. If the data is inconsistent, we ask you to submit documents to confirm the new information.

Coverage will usually start on the first day of the month following plan selection (for example, if you selected a plan on Dec. 31, your coverage would start on Jan. 1).