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Hey Californians! You want health insurance and you don’t get it through your job or buy it through the individual market? Well, if you want your coverage to start Jan. 1, then it’s time to mosey on over to Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act website and exercise your new right to health insurance, because Monday is the last day to enroll. The Obamacare health law says you can no longer be denied insurance for a pre-existing condition or dropped when you get sick. And unlike the national healthcare website catastrophe, Covered California's online shopping interface has gotten mostly positive reviews.
We just window-shopped the Covered California website, and if you are a 28-year-old Silver Laker earning $40,000 a year and you don't go to the doctor much, the site offers you plans starting at $167 a month. Also, the website seemed to be working fine!
Monday is not the deadline to avoid a fine - that's March 31, and the fine is $95. (It escalates to $695 by 2016.) But average out-of-pocket health spending in the U.S. is around $1000 a year, so if you want your coverage to start in January, you have to sign up by Monday.
