LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is hosting “Cover LACCD Week” on its college campuses as spring semester begins and Covered California open enrollment 2015 winds down.

From Monday, Feb. 9 through today, Feb. 12, Covered California representatives will be on campuses throughout the district to answer questions and get people enrolled in health care plans ahead to the February 15 deadline.

Scott Svonkin, President of the LACCD Board of Trustees, announced Cover LACCD Week as an opportunity for students and their families to enroll in health insurance through Covered California.  “I want to make sure our students and their families have the opportunity to obtain affordable health insurance,” says Svonkin.  “We know that people who have insurance are more likely to receive preventative care, and receiving preventative care is important for everyone – young and old alike – because it can mean the difference between life and death.”

Svonkin notes that the campus enrollments are open to everyone, and hopes that people, especially those in communities surrounding the campuses, will take advantage of this opportunity to enroll in one of the Covered California health plans. 

Medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy filings in the U.S. and people in underserved communities are the most vulnerable – they are more likely to fall into bankruptcy if they become ill, need to be hospitalized and have no health insurance.  People in underserved communities need health insurance in order to have access to preventative health care, and also to protect themselves and their families from financial devastation in case of serious illness.

“The intersection of poor health and poverty and its negative impact on educational attainment is well documented,” said Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, LACCD Chancellor. “Part of our district’s student success efforts relate to ensuring that our students are healthy and have access to affordable and accessible heath care options.  For this reason, we are making a strong push towards enrolling as many eligible students as possible throughout our nine colleges.”

Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee has announced that state-wide more than 273,000 Californians have already signed up during this year’s open enrollment period.  The agency is hoping to get the word out and enroll as many people as possible before this month’s deadline.  “If you don’t get coverage this year and can afford it, you’ll have to pay a penalty when filing your 2015 taxes,” Lee said. 

 

Open enrollment for Covered CA ends on Feb. 15, 2015.

WHAT:           Cover LACCD Week

WHEN:           Monday, February 9 to Thursday, February 12, 2015  (hours vary by campus)

WHERE:         LACCD Campuses