BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR
CV Journalism Collaborative
Kaiser Permanente, an insurance company and healthcare provider, will close the application for its Community Health Care Program at the end of the month.
The program provides “comprehensive, affordable” healthcare for low-income adults and children in California who don’t make enough money to afford private insurance, but make too much to qualify for Medi-Cal, according to a Kaiser press release.
The online application opened at the beginning of November last year. The final day to apply is Friday, Jan. 31. The application is open to all, no matter their immigration status.
“Even with the expansion of Medi-Cal in 2024, too many Californians remain uninsured,” Yvette Radford, vice president of external and community affairs at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, said in the release. “The Community Health Care Program helps address this gap, providing Kaiser Permanente’s high-quality care and coverage to eligible Californians in our service areas.”
Launched in the fall of 2023, the program is an expansion of the company’s Charitable Health Coverage Program which initially aimed to cover low-income children.
Applicants must be ineligible for other health coverage – including work benefits, Medi-Cal and Covered California – have an annual income of no more than three times the federal poverty level – up to $45,180 for an individual or up to $93,600 for a family of four – and live in a Kaiser service area.
According to Kaiser, the program provides care without a monthly premium and most services do not require members to pay out-of-pocket costs or copays.
“CHCP members have the same access to care, resources and services with Kaiser Permanente physicians at all Kaiser Permanente facilities as all Kaiser Permanente members,” the company said in an email statement.
Two organizations, the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton and El Concilio, are available across San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties to assist residents interested in applying to the program.
