California Enrolls More Than 6k Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions in Insurance Program

California's effort to extend healthcare coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions has enrolled more than 6,000 patients, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

The push to enroll patients with pre-existing conditions is a three-year stopgap effort until federal healthcare reform is fully implemented. California is now second only to Pennsylvania with the highest number of enrollees in the temporary federally funded insurance plan, which assists people with cancer, heart disease and other long-term disorders in paying for office visits, hospital stays and prescription drugs.

California was the last state to offer the coverage, but marketed aggressively and decreased premiums to increase the number of applicants. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who have been uninsured for six months and have been previously denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. The state will continue publicizing the plan in 2012 following more generous federal funding than expected.

The program will end in Jan. 2014, when health insurers will have to accept patients with pre-existing conditions without charging them higher rates under federal healthcare reform.

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