Covered California's 1st open-enrollment period ends this week

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- For California's uninsured, the clock is ticking. Covered California's first open-enrollment period closes this week.

If you want your coverage to start on January 1, you have to sign up by Friday.

"If you don't sign up this week by the end of December, you're going to go the entire month of January without insurance," says Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. "We've all learned, sadly, that life can change overnight and going a month without insurance when you can get it, many people, at no cost, seems like a pretty clear choice."

This comes as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the state, inflicting a toll on hospitals, families and their finances.

According to data released by the state earlier this week, the average cost for outpatient COVID care is around $1,300 and that's for milder cases that don't require a hospital visit.

For severe cases, your medical bill could be more than $100,00 if you're taken into the ICU.

That's why the state is urging uninsured Californians to enroll because, simply put, COVID treatment isn't cheap.

State officials say around 1.1 million uninsured Californians are eligible for financial support from Covered California or Medi-Cal.

But to get help, you have to sign up.

"It's actually really easy," Lee said. You go to the website, you can enroll online. But if you're a little bit confused, we have a feature where you put in your zip code and say 'find help near me.' You'll find people right in the Central Valley, local insurance agents, they've got one job: to help people sign up."