Covered California announced today that individuals who start an online application by 11:59pm on March 31, 2014 have until 11:59pm on April 15, 2014 to complete their application and select a plan. To start an application, the consumer must take at least the following steps:
* Create an online account.
* Fill out all required information on the “Apply for Benefits” page and hit “Continue.”
* After hitting “Continue” individuals will be taken to the “Consent for Verification” page where they need to click on “Save & Exit.”
* Individuals must return to their online account no later than April 15 to complete the application and select a plan.
After the end of open enrollment on March 31 consumers will be eligible to purchase an individual plan on or off the exchange only if they have a “qualifying event” such as: getting married, having a baby or adopting a child, permanently moving to a new area that has different health plan options , losing other health care coverage that is considered minimum essential coverage or a change in income that would affect an enrollee’s eligibility for financial assistance.