Affordable health insurance is available for your children, regardless of pre-existing conditions, during open-enrollment

   March 1, 2011 will be the last day of a critical open-enrollment period for affordable children’s health insurance.

   During the open-enrollment period, parents can sign up their children for more affordable health insurance. As a result of President Obama’s federal health care reform plan and AB 2244 by Assemblymember Feuer, children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage – they also cannot be charged rates that are more than double the rates of healthy kids. Parents of healthy children without insurance should also sign their kids up during this period; kids who don’t sign up during open enrollment periods may be subject to a 20 percent surcharge on their insurance rates for a full year.

   Parents who have children with pre-existing conditions and do not qualify for Healthy Families or Medi-Cal should take advantage of this open enrollment period ending March 1. Enrolling children for health insurance in the next two weeks allows parents to save hundreds of dollars in premiums.

   The new law, which has been in effect since January 1, gives California children access to affordable care and a healthy future by ensuring that sick children cannot be denied coverage or priced out of the market. It also prohibits insurers that sell individual market policies in California from refusing to sell or renew coverage to children with pre-existing conditions – it also bans insurers from the individual market for five years if they do not sell policies to children.

   There are a number of important educational resources for parents on how they can obtain health coverage for their children during and after the open enrollment period. Parents are encouraged to visit finder.healthcare.gov (or cuidadoesalud.gov for Spanish speakers), a website create to assist consumers in navigating their options under the Affordable Care Act.

   Parents should also check the web site of the California Department of Insurance (CDI) at www.insurance.ca.gov, where they can find fact sheets on how to insure their children. Parents are also encouraged to call CDI’s consumer hotline at 1-800-927-HELP or the state health insurance hotline at 1-888-466-2219 with any questions or concerns.