Thats live saving. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Like it or not, the Affordable Care act is here. We have heard the hype and criticism and enrollment has begun and just about everyone in the country will be required to have Health Insurance. Here in california, theres a onestop marketplace called covered california. Feeling overwhelmed . Dont worry. Well walk you through the Affordable Care act. First, what the new law means for the people who do have insurance and those who dont. For those who dont or people who want to buy their own insurance, thats where covered california comes into the picture. We will go through all the Insurance Options and talk money, specifically well show you how the figure out what youll likely pay and whos eligible for tax credits. Well also show you what services will be covered, so lets get started. All righty. Its estimated that 7 million californians dont have Health Insurance. So it shouldnt come as a big surprise that many people are flocking to covered california. So we begin our coverage with nbc bay area sam brock who shows us who is eligible to buy Health Insurance on covered california. Californians with Health Insurance, without Health Insurance and trying to find quality Health Insurance. Covered california offers a Little Something for everybody. The only qualification for purchasing on the exchange is that youre a legal resident. And that you are not incarcerated. Thats it . Thats it. Dana howard with covered california helped us trace out who is likely to join and in what numbers. It will probably take a few years. But projections show 1. 4 million new medical recipients who are eligible. Then 5. 3 Million People without Health Insurance, half of those folks will be eligible for subsidies, about 2. 6 million. Half will not. And make no mistake the subsidies will make a big difference. If youre eligible for subsidies and are at the lower end of the income scale, they are incredibly meaningful and could really deliver for you something thats very affordable. Insurance experts like charles boccie will tell you without subsidies the Health Exchange options will net you lower savings if any. But heres what you need to keep in mind. Plans on the exchange will likely bring you richer benefits. Due to new federal standards. Even employees who buy through their workplace can opt out and buy a product on the exchange. You can make that switch. You can drop coverage from your employer. And go buy coverage in the exchange or outside of the exchange if you think its a better deal for you. My caution, thats difficult if you dont qualify for subsidies because youre leaving the employers contribution on the table. Now, lets talk about the options available. Simply put, there are a lot of options. Which Insurance Company and what type of plan . Sam brock continues our coverage. Folks who purchased Health Insurance on the online exchange, covered california, will have to wait until january to reap the benefits. But make no mistake, enrollment has opened the doors. People need to understand that they only can buy coverage in california between october and march of next year, 2014. Otherwise, they wont be able to purchase coverage until 2015. Charles boccies trade group, the California Association of health plans represents all Insurance Companies in california including the 12 with certified plans on covered california. For the whole state of california, there are 12 Insurance CompaniesOffering Health care plans on the exchange. You can see them in the list on the righthand side of your page. That doesnt mean there are 12 companies in your region. In fact, that number varies quite a bit. There are 19 regions in california. In san francisco, there are five different Companies Offering plans. They range from hmos to ppos. Well explain that in a later story. In alameda county, there are four different Insurance Companies with plans. In the santa cruz monterrey region, there are three companies. Where you live will determine how Many Companies you can choose from. But typically its between three and five different companies. Once you have narrowed down a plan you like it is important to remember you still have plenty of choices. Now, each plan comes with an option of four different tiers. Platinum, gold, silver and bronze. Keep in mind the only difference for all of these is how much youre paying up front in premiums versus how much youll pay later in copays and medical bills. Thats it. For example, the platinum plan will cover roughly 90 of your medical bills but in turn you will pay more money in premiums up front. On the other hand, the bronze plan covers the lowest percentage of your bills, about 60 or so. But for those who dont think theyll get sick or arent worried about bills, the premiums will be significantly lower. All the benefits are the same. Depending on which level you are at. Bronze, silver, gold or platinum. That allows customers to make what we call an apples to apples comparison. So that no longer are they trying to figure out what benefits am i getting. Now they only have to figure out whats it going to cost. Is my hospital and doctor within that plan . Covered california has an interactive website who help you out. On the home page, you can see there are five main tabs that link you to Insurance Information and resources we have about us, coverage, resources, and then theres a new center tab and languages where you can pick from 13 languages. Then towards the bottom of the screen, theres an online tool to calculate your potential insurance costs in 2014. By clicking on shop and compare the site will take you to another page where you can input your family and income information to break down the monthly cost and possible tax credits. Coming up, well show you what the average bay area family would pay each month. All right, thank you, janelle. But first, theyre young and they think theyre invincible and often uninsured. Getting young people to sign up is a big challenge. Not just any people, but young people. Coming up, why the success of obama care could hinge on this group. Were back in two minutes. Getting Health Insurance on euro yourer your own is not cheap or easy, but the aim of the Affordable Care act is to help you shop and compare. Lets get started. Well see what happens. First, we put in the number of people in your household. Lets say this a family of four. Type in four here. Household income. The average in the bay area is about 70,000. And then the zip code. Lets say this family is from santa clara county. Then we type in the enrollee information. The age of each adult. How about 40 and 42. Then the number of dependents, age 18 and under. Two kids. Total people covered, four. Then we see my options. The next page that comes up, like a preview page. Over view preview page with four options. Including your best two options. You have to close out this page to see details of your options. You have two plans that are available that are best for you. The bronze 60 plan. And your premium can be as low as 279. But if you view the details of this plan, the deductible is pretty high at 5,000. Now, lets take a look at the other plan that they recommend. The enhanced silver plan. Your total Monthly Payment a bit more, 539, but if you view the benefits and details, you can see the deductible is much lower at 2,000. Your copay to your primary care physician are also lower. This can be a better option to your family if you expect to see the doctor more often. In the end, less out of pocket. Interesting to see how it all works. Theres a catch, to keep the costs relatively affordable, one key group needs to enroll and thats young people. If they dont come out and sign up for the coverage it could undermine the success of the entire law. Here is nbc bay areas sam brock. Its the generation called the young invincibles. About 19 to 35, healthy, a spring in their step. And confident things will just work out. But what if good health isnt just a layup . We asked the uninsured in the group of 20 to 30 something if they plan on signing up for obama care . I kind of go i play it by ear. So i think safest route, because i have a family of five, so its like play the card as it comes. You think most young people will sign up . I think so. It makes economic sense theres a good chance. Theres no question the administration is hoping the optimism expressed on this court will play out in cities across the country. Because if young people dont sign up and instead choose to pay a fee, make no mistake it could create quite a problem. If the risk pool ends up been those that are sicker or older, then were going to see significant rate increases. Getting young people signed up is a challenge. One well successfully undertake. Lets hope the commissioner is right. But if young people dont sign up in large numbers heres what were looking at a risk of older folks who exhaust a lot of resources. Only a small group of Healthy People to counterbalance the costs, it wont work. In a Perfect World youd have a closer ratio, about six older folks for every four young enrollees to spread out the costs. That pool would be more economically viable. And its not just the commissioner of california issuing this warning. Or even corporate america. Covered california and the Insurance Groups selling on the exchange acknowledge the same basic foundational risk. If Young Californians dont purchase insurance, and we have only those who have preexisting conditions or who are older, it will absolutely result in premium increases in 2015. The success of obama care in california and elsewhere could hang in the balance. Now, according to the federal department of health and human services, 39 of the roughly 70 Million People expected to sign up for the state exchanges need to be between the ages of 18 and 34. Thats close to 3 Million People. Well, we know its a lot to digest. When we return, some last minute questions answered by a Health Insurance expert. Stay with us. The question we hear the most is around preexisting conditions. People who have had a preexistipreexis preexisting condition dont know that theyre going to be able to get coverage through covered california. And welcome back to our covered california special. Thousands of people have countless questions. One that comes to the Affordable Care act. We are here to try to answer some of them. Anthony wright from Health Access is here to help us. They advocate quality, Affordable Health care for all californians. Thank you for being here. You heard that, preexisting conditions is on peoples minds. Thats one of the things that cant be considered when buying insurance. Absolutely from the previous world people had a long application to fill out with 25 pages worth of questions of their health history. Thats all gone. You cannot be denied for your preexisting conditions. You do have to apply during the open Enrollment Period. Other than that, you cant get charged differently which is very important for affordability. Another thing that people are concerned with, they have a huge affinity for the doctor they have been seeing. Under this, can you see your own doctor . No, you can each your own doctor. As a matter of fact, the covered california website has an impressive tool where you can type in the name of your doctor and sea see what plans have your doctor in their network or local hospital. If you want to make sure that your local hospital is in the network of the plan that you choose. Most hospitals are at least in one of the plans. Decide if you want to go for the lower premium or with a Bigger Network with the provide orrs t you want. You can make that choice. One of the things that we hear the most, the fine. If you dont have insurance by a certain date there will be a fine for people who dont sign up. Tell us about how that fine is going to work. Its minimal and then increases. Right. It starts at 95 a year and then grows to 2. 5 of income. Most people want to be covered. They want the peace of mind to have coverage, so they dont have to live sicker. Die younger. Be one emergency away from financial ruin. But if the options that are available are not affordable enough, that is a viable it is a viable option. Just to say ill pay on my taxes at year end that additional assessment, but the problem is that you dont get covered as a result. You have to wait if you do get sick until you have to wait until the next Enrollment Period to sign up. You have to sign up during the everyone Enrollment Periods. The fine for the children is half what it is for an adult. Thats right. One of the things that people are confused about in terms of Small Businesses that have less than 50 employees, are they required by the law theyre not required by the law to sign up. But theres access if they choose to ensure their employees. Isnt there a shop area . Thats correct. Part of the new covered california exchange, some of the businesses can get tax credits so they can better afford to cover their workers. But theres no requirement on employers. Theres an assessment on large employers over 50 if they dont provide coverage and their workers go into the covered california to get subsidies they have to help contribute to that. But nothing for under 50. However, we do they most employers who do provide coverage now will continue to do it, because thats how they attract and retain workers. We want to make sure that there is that we have a safety net so that all those workers who dont get coverage now have a place to go to get affordable and quality coverage. Quickly whats the biggest misinformation you think is out there about covered california . I think that i think people people think its a more radical change than it is. This is the private coverage that people expect and are used to now. The big thing is you cant be denied for preexisting condition. You can get financial help and its a much easier way to do it. Health insurance is not cheap or easy, but this will make it cheaper and easier. Thanks for explaining and lining it up for us. Sure you have to pay for your insurance, but you get many free benefits. Coming up, we outline exactly what Preventative Care you get when you enroll. [ superfan ] were hitting the road to help america discover the new helper. Youve got to try this sweet sour chicken helper. I didnt know they made chicken. Crunchy taco or four cheese lasagna . Can i get another one of those actually . [ superfan ] hey, america, were here to help. [ male announcer ] you say tomato. Old el paso says diced tomato stand n stuff chicken tacos. You say whats for dinner . Old el paso says start somewhere fresh. As you see obama care isnt necessarily cheap, but its aim is to be affordable. When it comes to Preventive Health screenings its more than that, its free. In an effort to keep people moe people out of here, the Affordable Care act is requiring insurance plans to cover Preventive Services so people can avoid from suffering from major illnesses. Theyll have access to scr n screeniscree screening tests for diabetes, high blood pressure, depression. 15 Preventive Services will be covered under the Affordable Care act. Everything from diet counseling for those at high risk for chronic disease to your seasonal flu shot and nine other immunizations. Women will have their annual mammograms paid for. Health plans must cover the cost of Behavioral Health services. Every single plan covers Mental Health and Substance Abuse and covers it at the same level as treatment for other illnesses and thats whats probably the biggest most revolutionary thing about obama care in this area. For most its a welcome change. Yeah. Important. Its important as your physical health. Oh, i think its wonderful. I think its so needed. Initially, patients may experience a longer wait for some screenings because the uninsured may flood offices to get tests they have put off for years because they couldnt afford them. But after the first year it should adjust to accommodate other patients. Dr. Keith humphreys says now people who need Mental Health services will be able to get early help and that can save lives. To have this level of coverage, to have it at parity, not have to worry about going bankrupt, to get access to high quality care, thats life saving. To give you an idea of the impact the Affordable Care act will have on this hospital, Valley Medical Center is expecting to see 5,000 new patients next year. Who will be enrolled in the valley care plan offered through covered california. Now, the next part is very important. Do you know the difference between covered california and california covered . One is the insurance marketplace. The other is a fraud that you need to be aware of. Once again, heres nbc bay areas sam brock. At first glance, california covered looks a lot like what it purports to be a Health Insurance benefits exchange and insurance comparison. Scroll down on the new defunct site and you will see options for free quotes, group Health Insurance deals and the promise that covered california begins in january of 2014 which it does. But california covered is a scam. According to the state. Covered california is real. And the two sound so alike. Even the states insurance commissioner can get a little tongue tied. California covered, which is a website that appears to be designed to try to attract people to it, pretending to be covered california. Even im having a hard time getting so close in terminology. The insurance departments investigators unraveled the following front. Posing as covered california, california covered was getting protection from a serverbased company in texas and being orchestrated by an unlicensed broker in panama. Some 4,000 miles away. We were successful in contacting the texas owner of the site, if you will, that was allowing the ultimate owners to deploy this information across their server, across their web portal. We got them to shut it down. The department of insurance will continue to look after californians and investigate questionable sites. But for the several Million People who might buy insurance through the States Health care exchange, other potential traps lurk too. Joe says some licensed brokers and agents have applied to change their names or presentation. He says possibly to look like covered california, or capitalize on the profile. So far, california has rejected 193 requests like this one. Covered Insurance Group or even closer, california insurance exchange. Now while you can buy covered california products through licensed dealers or brokers, theres nothing illegal about that. Jones says consumers should know there is a distinction. Theres Something Different about being in the agent and broker space and being covered california which is a governmental entity. So we think consumers should understand those differences and not be misled into thinking that one or the other or the other is the one. Now, that was sam brock reporting. A lot of information to review. We invite you to go to our website. Wh when you go to our home page, you can see covered california in a spotlight section. Click on the icon and it will take you to the entire guide devoted to the Affordable Care act and how it all affects californians. Well, we hope you found this covered california special informative and useful. Thanks for watching. We hope to see you back here on monday. Have a good evening. The usc rivalry stands out the most, because that is one group that doesnt like us, and we dont like them. The hatred between the two is more deep seeded than most people think. There is something about usc that rubs notre dame the wrong way. Tomorrow, we beat southern cal. It is a rivalry built on tradition, and the legends of the past, where countless stars have run for heismans, leading teams to titles, and assuring both schools that this is a game that will always matter. Leinart