1.4 Million Californians Sign Up For Obamacare, But State Falls Short of Goal

Covered California, the state's Obamacare exchange, has released its latest numbers for 2015 enrollment to date. Among the highlights:

• Through Feb. 22, the end of open enrollment, 495,073 newly enrolled in a Covered California plan. Total enrollments numbered 1.4 million. AP is reporting that falls 300,000 short of the state's goal for signups.
• More than 780,000 new enrollees in Medi-Cal
• As of Dec. 14, 2014, 92 percent of Covered California participants renewed for 2015.
• Ninety percent of both old and new enrollees are eligible for a subsidy to help pay premiums.

Covered California said the number of new enrollees was consistent with its forecast.

A spokesperson for the exchange said it did not yet have a total number for all Californians who have enrolled under the Affordable Care Act, including those who who now receive Medi-Cal, 

Here's a chart of enrollment by ethnicity for those eligible for subsidies:

From AP:

Covered California released data Thursday showing that the percentage of Latinos and African-American enrollees increased from last year. The state also reported a younger mix of new enrollees, which ensures a good risk pool for insurers.

Covered California reports that Latinos made up 37 percent of new enrollees, compared to 31 percent last year. The share of new black enrollees increased slightly from 3 percent to 4 percent.

The exchange increased its marketing through Spanish-language media after it received criticism for failing to reach out to the Latino community the first year. ...

California signed up a total of 1.4 million people during the second enrollment season from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15. That figure fell 300,000 short of the state's goal to sign up 1.7 million people.

Despite strong enrollment of new enrollees, the state's overall enrollment was down because fewer people renewed than expected. For example, the agency noted that it saw a lower-than-anticipated number of people who signed up during special enrollment, such as when people lose their jobs or transition out of Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program for the poor.

"We are troubled by the low special enrollment," said Beth Capell, a lobbyist with Health Access California. "We do think there's considerably more work to do on transitioning people from Medi-Cal to Covered California. We think this is one of the challenges the two organizations face over the next year or two."

The overall enrollment figure is critical to financing Covered California, which can make adjustments by reducing spending, tapping reserves or increasing monthly plan fees. The federal government infused billions of dollars to help states get their health insurance marketplaces up and running, but exchanges are supposed to be self-sustaining by imposing a fee on the plans they sell.

In a positive sign for the exchange, sign-ups by 18-to-34-year-olds increased 5 percent, pushing up that demographic's share of new enrollments to 34 percent.

You can see more demographic breakdowns at the bottom of Covered California's news release.

The official enrollment period ended on Feb. 15, but the state extended that to Feb. 22 for those who started an application but did not complete it. It later granted a second extension to April 30 for those individuals who say they were not aware they would incur a financial penalty if they do not have some form of health insurance. (The state is calling this a "new enrollment period," because it says it doesn't have the authority to extend the old period.)

Meanwhile, Medi-Cal enrollment continues year-round.