Covered California nears 1.6 million enrollment amid virus

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly 1.6 million people have purchased health insurance through Covered California so far this year.

State officials said Tuesday that nearly 200,000 more people have signed up for insurance this year compared with the same time period last year.

The deadline to purchase coverage is Jan. 31. Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee estimates about 2.7 million Californians don’t have health insurance.

Of those, he said about 1.2 million are eligible for financial assistance or Medicaid.

Of those, about 718,000 live in Southern California, where the coronavirus outbreak is at its worst.