While California has made significant progress in protecting the health rights of its residents, advocates remain wary of the ongoing federal attempts to destabilize the Affordable Care Act and the current health care system, which could negatively affect the individual market in the state. Throughout Covered California’s open enrollment period, which began on October 15, California residents will still have access to comprehensive and affordable coverage in the marketplace. However, the need to fight and resist the federal efforts to sabotage the health care law remains:
California has proactively tried to shield itself from some federal actions. For example, Gov. Brown recently signed a law that bans the sale of cheap, short-term insurance plans in the state…However, the state does not have the power to fully protect itself from federal actions, particularly since it relies on billions of dollars in health care funding from the federal government, advocates said. They urged Californians to consider this as they cast ballots for state and congressional representatives in November.
Read the full article from the Sacramento Bee, here.
