The dates

Open enrollment in California runs November 1 through January 31 – three months, versus six weeks on healthcare.gov. Enroll by December 31 for coverage starting January 1. Outside those dates you need a qualifying event – losing coverage, moving, marriage, a baby, or your carrier leaving the market.

Subsidies only exist through Covered California

Premium tax credits and California’s state subsidy are available only through Covered California – the identical plan bought directly from the carrier gets zero help. If your income qualifies for Enhanced Silver 73, 87 or 94, the Silver plan’s deductibles and copays shrink dramatically – Enhanced Silver 94 is often richer than most Gold plans.

Yes, California still has a penalty

The federal mandate penalty is gone; California’s is not. For the 2025 tax year (filed in spring 2026) it is the greater of $950 per adult plus $475 per child (flat amount capped at $2,850 per household) or 2.5% of household income above the filing threshold, via FTB Form 3853. Going uninsured is not free in this state.

What we do

We are certified with Covered California and licensed with the carriers. Same plans, same prices as going direct – plus a human who checks your doctors, your drugs and your subsidy math. It costs you nothing. Book a free call, call (855) 847-7020, or start with your county’s carrier list.

The post Covered California Open Enrollment: Dates, Deadlines and How Subsidies Really Work appeared first on California Health Agents.

What happened to your coverage

You were not left uninsured. Covered California maps enrollees whose carrier exits into a comparable plan from another carrier unless they actively pick one. The catch: “comparable premium” does not mean “same doctors.” The mapped plan’s network can be completely different.

The three things to check

1. Your doctors. Confirm your primary care physician and any specialists are in the new plan’s network – do not rely on the carrier’s directory alone; call the office.
2. Your prescriptions. Formularies differ by carrier. A drug that was tier 2 with Aetna can be tier 4 somewhere else.
3. Your subsidy. A carrier change is a good moment to re-verify your income estimate so your tax credit is right.

You may have better options than the plan you were moved to

Depending on your county you may have Kaiser, Blue Shield, Anthem, Health Net, Western Health Advantage or a local plan available – see your county’s current carrier list on our county pages. A carrier exit is a qualifying event, and our help costs you nothing – we are paid by the carriers, never by you. Book a free plan review or call (855) 847-7020.

The post Aetna Left Covered California for 2026 – Here Is What to Do appeared first on California Health Agents.

Original Medicare costs for 2026

• Part A hospital deductible: $1,736 per benefit period – not per year. You can pay it more than once in a year.
• Hospital days 61-90: $434 per day; lifetime reserve days $868 per day.
• Skilled nursing days 21-100: $217 per day.
• Part B premium: $202.90 per month for most people.
• Part B deductible: $283 per year.

Drug coverage: the $2,100 cap

Your out-of-pocket cost for covered Part D prescriptions is capped at $2,100 for 2026. Once you hit the cap, covered drugs cost you nothing for the rest of the year. If you take expensive medications, this cap – not the premium – is the number to plan around.

Medigap numbers worth knowing

• High-deductible Plan F and Plan G: $2,950 deductible for 2026.
• Plan K out-of-pocket maximum: $8,000. Plan L: $4,000. Both jumped sharply from 2025 because CMS changed how the figure is indexed – if you own K or L, this is the year to re-check the math.

Want us to run your situation against these numbers? Book a free Medicare call or phone (855) 847-7020. And remember: California’s Birthday Rule gives you 60 days from your birthday each year to switch Medigap plans with no health questions.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (in California, HICAP at 1-800-434-0222) to get information on all of your options.

The post The 2026 Medicare Numbers That Actually Matter appeared first on California Health Agents.