![\"Covered](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/r9f.352.myftpupload.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Covered-California.jpg\" "\\"www.coveredca.com\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nA version of this piece recently aired on\u00a0KQED’s\u00a0<\/a><\/em>Perspectives<\/a>.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n With the holidays here, I know just what I\u2019m going to ask my daughter for this year. Emma\u2019s almost 26, and like a lot of young adults, she\u2019s piecing together a couple of part-time jobs while figuring out what comes next. I don\u2019t want her to spend her hard-earned cash on stuff I don\u2019t need. Instead, I\u2019m asking Emma to make sure she signs up for something she needs: health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true that the rollout has been riddled with problems, but the Affordable Care Act\u2019s tremendous benefits remain. Besides, Californians are lucky to have Covered California<\/a>, the state\u2019s fully functional and easy-to-navigate healthcare exchange. Those who enroll by December 23 will be covered when the law goes into effect January 1. What better way to start the New Year?<\/p>\n Our family has already benefited greatly from the Affordable Care Act–it\u2019s allowed us to keep our daughters on our plan until they turn 26. Soon, though, Emma will need her own health insurance. Before, she never could have afforded it. It\u2019s hard to find jobs these days that offer coverage. Emma, like millions of Americans, might have been forced to rely on costly ER visits or the \u201cCross my fingers and hope I don\u2019t need it!\u201d plan. Now, under the Affordable Care Act, she and the many Californians like her who\u2019ve risked disaster due to unattainable insurance will be eligible for expanded Medicaid, federal subsidies, or tax credits.<\/p>\n As parents, we make sure our kids are safe: teaching them to buckle up, wear bike helmets, and drive defensively. Grown-up children may think of themselves as Young Invincibles who don\u2019t need insurance, but accidents and serious illness happen, putting health and family finances at risk. Here\u2019s our chance to further guide our kids into responsible and secure adulthood, continuing to protect them by making sure they\u2019re covered.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why I\u2019m asking Emma for the best present of all: good and affordable healthcare for her, peace of mind for me.<\/p>\n *<\/em><\/p>\n Covered California: www.coveredca.com<\/a>\u00a0or 800-300-1506<\/em><\/p>\n Other states: check your local resources or\u00a0www.healthcare.gov<\/a>\u00a0or 800-318-2596<\/em><\/p>\n Open enrollment period ends March 31, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A version of this piece recently aired on\u00a0KQED’s\u00a0Perspectives. * With the holidays here, I know just what I\u2019m going to ask my daughter for this year. Emma\u2019s almost 26, and like a lot of young adults, she\u2019s piecing together a … Continue reading