Covered California

Online service is horrible, customer service is horrible. Everything goes wrong with their system. If it weren’t for to avoid the tax penalty, I would never even touch Covered CA.

What a piece of crap. Thanks to Obamacare, I lost my affordable health insurance and the policies offered on this plan are unaffordable. The plans here do not adequately support the need for insurance in case of medical catastrophe. If there were an actual need for insurance, one cannot depend on Covered California.

My mom has Covered California. She pays a very reasonable rate and has received excellent healthcare. She became very ill last year and the coverage totally took care of her. She received great medical treatment and her rates didn’t go up. Sure, figuring it out in the beginning is tough, but overall they are providing healthcare coverage for people who could not afford it otherwise. Thanks Covered California for helping my mom through some really tough times. She couldn’t have done it with out you!

If I could give negative stars I would. My journey with Covered Ca started in December of 2013 maybe even January of 2014. Since I got pregnant and was low income I had no choice but to sign up with this horrible company. After hours of waiting on the phone, I was signed up. They asked me for income and the rest of the bells and whistles for identity. When income came up, I gave her mine since I was the only one employed as my husband was a student using his military benefits, to then I asked if non-​taxable income, such as my husbands GI Bill housing allowance counted, just incase. She said said yes and even verified with her manager. I felt that it was wrong but didn’t question it since they *should* have known what they are doing.
Fast forward to Feb, I switched my plan and everything there was fine and dandy… or so I though. That plan started April 1. Sometime between then and May, without my knowledge of content, covered ca switched my plan from my anthem epo to an anthem hmo. They lady I spoke with promised she’s get this fixed and call me back with the week. I gave it two weeks and called her back. She claimed she never said she’d call me back and didn’t even know what I was talking about. Another headache but fixed.
Sept 2014, my baby was born August to which I called Covered Ca to add her to my plan. Again they asked for updated income, I have my husbands new job, got rid of mine since I was not working, and told them about his housing allowance. The man was confused and asked me why I would use that since it doesn’t qualify as income. I told him that’s what they used back in Jan when I signed up. He verified with his manager and sure enough, it WAS NOT supposed to be used as income and we should have been on Medi-​Cal the whole time. I was then put on medi-​cal and was sent on my merry way. In Jan 2015, we got my husbands work insurance and I thought I was forever done with Covered Ca… WRONG!
Feb 2015, I do our taxes with the 1095-​a we were given. Turns out the paper Covered Ca sent was wrong (strike 1), didn’t find out till June via the IRS and have since been trying to get the corrected papers. Since I had 2 plans, I got one corrected paper (one I did not initially receive: strike 2) and one that was even more messed up than the previous for my anthem plan (strike 3). The dates are correct but the part c was completely wrong. I sent every receipt and any other paperwork to prove what I paid was what I paid for that plan and instead of putting the correct info for the subsidy and how much the plan was, they just entered all 0s… so not only did they mess up twice, they messed up a third time! I waited months for those corrections and all they have to say for themselves is sorry and I have to send in the papers again and wait at least another two months. Meanwhile, 4800 of my taxes are being held up because covered ca can’t send correct 1095-​a even after I sent a novel showing what I paid for the plan and step by step what needed to be corrected. If I could find a way to sue for damages and stress I would. I’ve been looking for lawyers. This is just ludicrous! There has to be a way to speed this process up since this is the third time for papers and about the 5 – 6 time since I started dealing with them.

What a pitiful joke. I initially liked CoveredCA when I first signed up for it last year. But christ almighty, dealing with CoveredCA has been the worst experience of my life. EVERY chance I have off of work I have to call the helpline to fix something. NOTHING can be done on their website… to say it is entirely useless would be putting it lightly.
I re-​enrolled this year without any major issue. I love the kaiser plan I have through coveredca. It’s great for my pregnant wife and I. BUT I logged on to coveredca today to verify some info to find my plan is being terminated at the end of this month. No explanation given. Boom, my insurance plan is gone. What?
The poor dummies on the phone at CoveredCA can’t tell the difference between their face and their ass… they cannot tell me anything about my account. They don’t know why the plan is being terminated. They are as useless as tits on a bull.
I thought I would be saving money going with coveredca over my employers plan… and I am, but the headaches are not worth it. I’ve called Coveredca no less than 13 times this year. 13 times in 4 weeks. And nothing has come of it. No help. No answers. And the website is complete garbage. Utter trash. So disappointed.

Covered California never stops to impress me. It conducts business in such a way it’s a miracle it’s still around. This is the testament to the fact that it’s definitely not a regular business. It doesn’t know how to take care of its customers and it still didn’t go bankrupt. The current 270 stars speak for themselves.
Last year I receives a letter and I remember reading «You must tell Covered California within 30 days of any changes that affect whether you qualify for health insurance, or to get premium assistance to help with paying for your health insurance … To report changes, log into your account at
or call the Service Center». What’s not clear to me is whether I really need to do that because a couple of weeks ago I called in to report a change but since I signed for insurance with my employer and I specifically stated that, it was not clear to me why the people on the phone were forcing me to complete an online application. Since I already signed up for insurance, I see the point of having to report a change but not to complete an application. Whatever the case may be, since I tried to solve the riddle in two occasions, I received two letters in the mail two days apart from each other. The content is exactly the same so this is clearly showing that Covered California, aside from doing a lousy job, it also wastes paper. Another thing about the letter is that the first paragraph of the first page ends with «you and your family qualify for the following health program (s)», followed by my name, «Good News!» and, finally, the options (Covered California Eligibility and Other Health Insurance). I think it’s pretty lame to introduce a list of options, throw in totally unnecessary information, then list options. I wonder who generates templates.
The last thing I need to mention is that a few days ago I received an e-​mail that says «Thanks for taking the time to submit your application for 2016 coverage. If you have not selected a plan prior to the official February 1^st Open Enrollment deadline, you still have until Saturday, February 6^th to choose your plan.» and then says «IMPORTANT: Since Open Enrollment is officially over, selecting a plan online is no longer an option. Your enrollment must be completed with the help of a Certified Enroller or Service Center Representative.» What kind of joke is this? First they tell me that you need to select a plan and then the tell me that I selecting a plan is no longer an option? What a joke!
Honestly, I feel abused by Covered California. I feel abused in the sense that since it’s not clear what you have to do, you are given vague options and directions, plus it’s not clear whether you are doing the right or the wrong thing. Beside, I feel mistreated by the fact that unless I have an insurance I will need to pay a penalty. I am a firm believer that everybody should have some minimum level of insurance but insurance should be affordable and people should not go through hell to get it and pay tons of money for huge deductibles. Whoever put up this system clearly doesn’t understand the concept of reality and affordability, even less the ideas of fairness and transparency. I can’t wait to see this joke being dismantled and replaced by a serious, accurate and cheaper system.

GARBAGE! Seriously this website never lets me log in. Every time I try I get an error message and I have to call customer service. Of course customer service never answers the damn phone. How is one supposed to fill out this application by the time of a deadline when their website never works and they never pick up the phone. If I get charged a penalty because of their ridiculous excuse for a website and helpline I’m suing! Just ridiculous…

incredibly disappointed, because of the whole Obama care thing if u don’t have medical insurance you get penalized when doing taxes.
that’s why I decided «alright let me get insurance so nothing BAD happends»
Not once have a used it, just payed for it each month just to have it (about 80 $ each month)
just finished taxes and now I owe 1200 $ and I have to pay it off with in 2 months.
I’m paying for something I’ve never used.

They’re helpline SUCKS. These people who are answering should not be the ones ANSWERING! They don’t even know what «Covered CA» is.
Try contacting them from Facebook. Seriously, those people actually help and repeatedly contact back to see if everything is okay.
No way those people at the telephone helpline deserve to be paid.

This website is a piece of sh@!t!!!
I recently found out I am pregnant and I called covered California to update my account. So I can start a program called MCAP for pregnant woman only will cover pregnant bills since I’m consider middle class aka I don’t get Medi-​Cal. Because according to the government to me and my husband make too much money which is bull anyways continuing on so Covered California the site is glitching saying I am not eligible for the MCAP program. But that is bull the program ment for mid income women. So now I might have to pay for my pregnancy in full without insurance until Covered California gets their stuff together I hope the escalation supervisor who is reviewing my case can get this settled by the end of the week fingers crossed, hoping for the best. PS I hope Obama care gets repealed Life seemed to just get 10 times harder when the law came out.

It is unreal how horrible Covered California is. I’ve been struggling for months with the site. Every time I call the help number (after an hour on hold), I get redirected to (get this) an automated message that tells me what Covered California is. I’m not joking. An hour of being on hold, being told I can’t confirm my identity due to completely irrelevant things, then being told to call this magic help number, to be told that Covered California is a website that will get you started on your road to healthcare coverage… wow. Not to mention that even though I go online, I have still received no paperwork in the mail about insurance.
Oh, and the website. Let’s talk about that joke of a website where the help buttons are there for decoration and the online upload button just turns your cursor from an arrow to a hand.
And to make things even «better» you guys have a Twitter and Facebook page that you actually update. Heck, you even respond to messages… And by that, I mean if someone asks you for help or says something is wrong with the site, you say «Hey! Can you follow us back on Twitter so we can respond to your direct message?»…and you say that IN A DIRECT MESSAGE. Of course, you also have your automated apologies to cut and paste into the comments on Facebook. «Hey so-​and-​so! We are so sorry that you’re having problems with our site. Please let us know what we can do to help you.» You can help me, and a bunch of other people who are most likely going to get fined over your incompetence by fixing your website. The fixes should include help links that work and upload buttons that work. Newsflash: NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO RUN TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR HELP WITH HEALTH INSURANCE. Do you know how ridiculous it sounds when you have to say «I’m trying health insurance info on Twitter?» Do you? It’s pathetic.
Don’t post your automatic apology as a response to this Unilocal unless you are actually fixing something. I can’t do anything with «I’m so sorry.» And neither can anyone else.

Insurance plans comparable to direct insurance companies. meh.
Website functionality gets a NEGATIVE 5 stars due to the unnecessary complexity.
I just had to update our address as we had moved recently and i had to go through the ENTIRE application process to do it. I got to finish it. But it’s RIDICULOUS

Going into year 3 and they still suck. Unlike Jenna-​the-​Jackhole, I was a supporter of Obamacare because I saw it as a stepping stone to a proper NHS. Sadly, California has still been unwilling/​unable to commit to proper information design. Do they not know that they have this little community called Silicone Valley at their disposal? I can’t even use their site w/​out being at least a little bit inebriated or I start getting all raged out.
Fortunately I found an insurance agent who got on the phone with them and straightened my insurance out. Thank god for her!

I moved from East Coast to West Coast. This is the WORST government red tape I have gone through in my life. And I used to live in Washington DC. If I can give them 0 stars I would. Here is what’s offensive to me:
— I accidentally put the wrong income amount (TYPO) in their system of my income in my original application (DECEMBER OF 2014). Then I got sent to medical. BIG MISTAKE. The Covered California system pimped me over to Medical where then it took and STILL TAKING a year (ALL of 2015), and we are now in 2016 to release me from Medical’s records.
— I got it corrected by someone on Covered California, to requalify for Covered California but Medical still showed that I am on Medical —- GO FIGURE. This is stupid part:
— I had to actually request a State Hearing to say I don’t want to waste tax dollars, because I am not qualified for Medical. This took 4 tries by the way. State of CA is dishing out Medical like swiss cheese around here. So I got a State Hearing (finally, DECEMBER 2015 — yes that’s correct…) where the Judge granted in my favor I did not need Medical (shocking, DUH). I explained I have been paying insurance myself out of pocket (self employed) and I didn’t qualify for Medical. Judge granted decision in my favor this is now the end of the year, in December mind you, it took a whole year to get to this part, only to have to go through another 3 rounds of issuing non-​compliance orders to the parties in the court case who are not complying to the Judge’s decision. Now why do we even have to go there? Seriously folks.
— I have missed my open enrollment because the system still shows I am with Medical, though legally (I never qualified. If you see my income listed in Medical, that’s a red flag the system doesn’t work, I’m so over the limit what it takes to qualify NO ONE IS CHECKING), it should have been super easy to just correct a typo. But OH-​HELL-​TO –THE-​NO, are you kidding? None of the departments have a unified system to talk to one another, to make changes. They shuffle you around department to department. By the way, Covered California is like what court case, DUH?, what compliance order, DUH DUH. They are the kids we deem «CLUELESS» or «SPECIAL».
— I am seriously thinking of doing a CLASS ACTION law suit, because I cannot be the only one experiencing this level of incompetence this has been happening to, nah, not just me. So if you read this, you are an honest? and good lawyer OR someone who has gone through headaches with Covered California or the Medical system, where they can’t synch up their stupid departments or database and you are seriously considering a class action, cause you are so very very frustrated at government incompetence — Hit me up on private message. I’m not kidding, I would gladly join or start a class action for the level of incompetence to correct something over a year ago could have simply happened by going into ONE UNIFIED database and make corrections. I should send Covered California a bill for my services (this has been a part time job trying to get departments and people to work together). DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THE MARKETING BRAIN WASHING OVER STATED HYPE that Covered California actually helps anyone.
— PRESENT TIME — as of January 2016, guess what? I have 3 compliance orders out, another pending court case (to revisit this issue AGAIN), all because of Covered California and social services still dragging their feet, as in zip, zero, nada traction to honor any COURT ORDER or be held in compliance — they are all like huh, ‘what court order’, ‘what compliance order (s)’ that you speaketh of?’ What, What?
–When I call weekly, AGAIN (remember this is my new part time job), asking for the Covered California people to help me, so I can do my open enrollment they say AGAIN since I am flagged for Medical, they can’t do anything. Grrrr. Can I please get off this merry-​go-​round pleeease? They have NO CLUE and I MEAN NO CLUE, that there is a court order or ANY Compliance against them. They might as well be snackin on chips watching The Bachelor, because it’s like whose on first the Abbott and Costello comedy routine. NO ONE there has a clue. And I mean NO ONE.

Cool when it works but an absolute nightmare when it doesn’t which is 90% of time. Very sad, considering I’m a progressive Democrat and really really really want this program to work. But it does not build confidence when you can’t get anything done with this awful website. It’s shocking that with all the technological and programming talent in California — Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, etc. — this glitchy website is the best we can come up with. I can’t believe the Covered California website is our best effort. And after a year up and running, it should be working smoothly instead of still being a clunky interface that often makes no since and whose problems are now costing me hundreds of dollars a month.
I’m supposed to qualify for a special benefits plan based on my income which qualifies me for a federal subsidy. When I get to the choosing a plan section, of course my subsidy doesn’t auto-​populate so I cannot choose the right plan. So starting on January 1, my insurer is going to be charging me $ 300/​month that I do not have because Covered California can’t get this right. Will the subsidy be paid by February or will I have to shell out another $ 300 while Covered California tries to catch up? Will I be reimbursed? Who knows? Even though it’s open enrollment — when you think offices would be open late — the office always seems to be closed so who knows when or if this will get fixed.
Just awful and an embarrassment. Very disappointing.

Terrible website, terrible phone service, kept sending me paper bills even after I set up automatic payments. Shitty insurance options, obnoxious to fill out income ahead of time when I don’t have a regular job, even more obnoxious to try to change it later. They sent me letters containing incorrect information about problems with my account, requiring me to call their lousy phone service and wait on hold for hours. I’m not even going to try to use them this coming year, I’ll suck up the difference on premiums instead and not like that either.
And why the hell burden a shitty website with the requirement that EVERYBODY sign up for insurance at the same time? That may policy from elsewhere, but I’m going to complain about it here anyhow. :-P

So sad. Been trying to change my plan online EVERY DAY for weeks! But the website is a jerk. Each time I have logged on, something new was an issue. The ‘Live Help’ option has been nonexistent. On hold for half hour or more for an operator isn’t always an option, either. Deadline is tomorrow. Guess I am tuff outta luck?
Boo hoo Covered CA. I am disappointed, for I have been a long time advocate for Universal Health care. I feel so let down.
For a decade I lived in the UK and was cared for under their NHS. We have a LONG way to come. Please, get it together Covered CA!

Absolutely terrible website. There are many many bugs in the website or stuff which is just plain dumb on the part of the creators of the website.
1. Your password has to contain no dictionary words. I guess I now have to use made up fake words like Plumbus from Rick and Morty in my password to get past your stupid rules. You must use caps/​lowercase/​numbers/​special symbols. Special symbols and upper/​lower case help create a stronger password which is difficult to crack. Having a password with multiple words which you can remember easier and they are generally fairly long is much more secure than a short password with up/lower/#‘s/symbols.
2. The website asked me for the pin I had so I entered it. It tells me my pin Must be alphanumeric. I know the pin I use for websites like this and I NEVER use letters. Hell, I actually had it written down for your craptacular website. The one I used last year was wrong this year, because it had to be alphanumeric according to your records. Even though it worked perfectly last year being just numbers.
3. To reset your pin you must reset your password.
4. To fix any personal information you must reset your password
5. You can not reuse an old password up to 24 changes back. Seriously, this is stupid. You have made it so I am doing stupid crap like increasing a number my password every time. For example; The first time the password is D0g$; second time D1g$; third D2g$, etc, etc, etc I have to do this to get around your stupid rule… I might have gone Dog$ 1 to begin but I couldn’t because it had the word «Dog» in it which is in the dictionary.
6. Website does not display properly on a mobile platform at all. I was trying to fill out the forms online but most of the boxes were off the screen except for «Okay» button so I blindly confirmed stuff while on mobile. I double checked it on my PC but it is bad to have a pop up box in frame which doesn’t display properly.
7. On mobile it is difficult to get past the screen where they want you to register to vote (I am already registered but it wants me to do it every time I apply). To check the box to register it is easy. If you try to click the button to say you do not need to register. It is behind another button so you get redirected to another screen.
8. Some pages do not display properly on firefox
9. Pages not loading at all. This isn’t even the peak time to visit the website and it is going down. This is your third frigging time of doing this. You would think they might have learned by now.
This website needs to be taken out back behind the shed and put out of its misery.

How many more examples of the ‘work’ done by people who could only get government jobs do you need before you stop voting for Big Stupid Government democRats who only want MORE of this cr@p?
An utterly miserable experience from every single aspect; broken beyond repair, which means the ‘Rats will throw billions of OUR dollars more at this excretion.
Do NOT sign up for this nonsense; ignore it and those government parasites who try to force it on you, tell them to jam it — let it collapse and die before it incinerates any more of OUR money!

I’m going to have to agree with other one star reviewers, I don’t know much about the service yet, but the site is absolutely horrible. Took me forever to realize the password had to be 8 digits long because I got no prompt specifying it. I ended up reading a different negative review and luckily i found the answer there. After spending about 10 minutes entering my information and my families information, the site decided to crap out and throw the error:
«We apologize.
An error occurred when we tried to process your request. We’re working to resolve this issue.»
So far i haven’t been able to log back on. I wouldn’t count on my information being saved. Pisses me off because i’m a programmer and I get sh! t when a period is missing from a paragraph, who the hell is managing this trashy site? It’s not even responsive, lame!