Nearly 870,000 Californians have signed up through Covered California as of March 1st. That’s hundreds of thousands more people than in any other state.
Anne Gonzales of Covered California says the state-run website has had its share of technical problems, but for the most part it’s worked better than the portals elsewhere.
“There was huge interest for this type of coverage," Gonzales says. "A lot of people have been waiting for affordable health care.”
Gonzales says outreach to ethnic communities and increased call center staffing have helped with the sign up effort.
The Kaiser Family Foundation says California has received more federal money than any other state to establish a marketplace.
Covered California will release its own updated numbers on Thursday.
![FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2015 file photo Laura San Nicolas, right, and her daughter Geena, wait to meet with an enrollment counselor to sign up for health insurance at Sacramento Covered in Sacramento, Calif. Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/9217617/coveredCaliforniaStock080117P.jpg)
July 19, 2018Premiums in California’s individual marketplace will increase for the fifth consecutive year, due in part to federal changes and a predicted departure of healthy consumers.
![Dr. Roberto Solis talks to patient Enrique Ahumada at Kaiser Permanente’s new bilingual clinic downtown. A new report says more Spanish-speaking doctors will be needed to meet the needs of California's increasingly diverse patient population. Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12050048/071618KaiserEspanol1-p.jpg)
July 16, 2018Kaiser Permanente’s "Salud en Español" clinic is part of a wider effort to increase culturally appropriate services for Latino residents, who are at high risk for diabetes and hypertension but are less likely than white patients to go to the doctor.
![California Gov. Jerry Brown presents his May revision to the state budget, detailing a plan to place the bulk of an $8.8 billion surplus into rainy-day reserves and one-time investments. Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/10414160/051118MayReviseBudgetJerryBrown-p.jpg)
May 11, 2018Gov. Jerry Brown opted not to include major investments in public health insurance programs in his budget revision on Friday, citing a preference for one-time spending measures over long-term commitments.
![FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2015 file photo Laura San Nicolas, right, and her daughter Geena, wait to meet with an enrollment counselor to sign up for health insurance at Sacramento Covered in Sacramento, Calif. Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/9217617/coveredCaliforniaStock080117P.jpg)
February 7, 2018Enrollment in Covered California dropped slightly this year. Numbers out today show 1.5 million people enrolled for 2018. That's down about two percent from the previous year. A drop in renewals offset gains in new enrollees.
![Mike Mozart / Flickr](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/7135404/Mcdonalds-071816P.jpg)
September 28, 2017There's a big public health push to stop pumping livestock with antibiotics. A new report looks at which fast food chains are being choosy about their meat.
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