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California urges more Fil-Ams to apply for state health insurance

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Rommel Conclara | TFC News San Francisco

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y3qgIqxADAM?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Nearly 40,000 Filipino-Americans in California are now receiving health coverage through the Covered California program.While it is a healthy number, state health officials still hope that the program can help more in the community.“The uninsured rate was 11% before the Affordable Care Act passed,&quot; said Covered California&#x27;s executive director, Jessica Altman. &quot;We&#x27;re now down to 5.6% based on our most recent data, cutting that number in half. That&#x27;s incredible progress.&quot;A study by Stanford Medicine showed that Fil-Ams are more prone to diabetes and hypertension compared to other Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders.The findings also showed that Fil-Am women have the second highest incidence of breast cancer, while Fil-Am men have the highest incidence of pancreatic cancer.Health authorities have since teamed up with the Philippine Nurses Association of Northern California to encourage more Fil-Ams to enroll in the insurance program.Members of the group said health coverage should be seen as a form of preventive care, and not as another expense.“It’s important to get health insurance to prevent illnesses or if we get sick,&quot; said Rian Igor Mocorro, the group&#x27;s president. &quot;If we get health insurance through Covered California [and] we qualify, we can call them and, at the same time, see our doctors annually.”Covered California cited how almost 90% of customers get financial help to lower the cost of their health plan.It added that two-thirds are eligible for plans for as low as $10 dollars a month, and many are even not paying for any at all.&quot;If you lose coverage later in the year, you don&#x27;t need it right now, but maybe you&#x27;ll need it later,&quot; Altman added. &quot;A reason like that, you lose coverage. You move to California, you can get coverage through Covered California at any time of the year, but now through January 31st, you don&#x27;t need a reason. Just come.”To sign up or to get more information, people can log on to <a href="https://www.coveredca.com/">CoveredCA.com</a> or call its service center at 800-300-1506.Open enrollment for Covered California ends on Jan.31.With the few days left, state officials and health advocates continue to spread the word to get as many more covered.

California officials team up with Fil-Am nurses to encourage more Filipinos to sign up for health insurance before the deadline.