Open Enrollment is happening now through February 15, 2015. This is your chance to sign up for health coverage! Our communities have been denied health care for too long, it's time to make sure we get the care we deserve. California residents can now enroll in affordable, quality health coverage plans through the state's new insurance marketplace - Covered California.

Less talked about is the deadline for coverage effective Feb. 1. Certified Enrollment Partners (click here to find one by zip code) will have until 11:59 PST on Thursday, January 15, 2015 to assist new and current Covered California consumers with enrollment for coverage effective February 1, 2015. This deadline applies to new consumers enrolling for coverage and renewing members with plan changes. 
 

Covered California has selected 5 LGBT organizations to provide free enrollment assistance to LGBT communities throughout California. These organizations can answer all your questions about enrolling in Medi-Cal or a Covered California health plan, and have enrollment events, drop-in hours, and appointments available. They can even enroll people over the phone! See a calendar of events providing LGBT-knowledgeable enrollment assistance here.

• Gender Health Center 916-455-2391 (Sacramento)
• Fresno LGBT Center 559-325-4429 (serving Fresno and Merced)
• Rainbow Community Center 925-692-0090 (Contra Costa)
•  San Joaquin Pride Center 209-466-7572 (Stockton)
• Unity Fellowship Church
• Long Beach 562-212-2541
• Los Angeles 323-756-7777
• Riverside 909-519-3927
• San Diego 619-572-9485  

Please include this information in your e-blasts, and share information about #LGBTcovered on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media platforms your organization uses. 

Equality California Institute invites you and your organization to attend a first ever Fair Share for Equality Convening. Despite numerous legislative successes securing marriage and other important civil rights in California and across the country, LGBT people continue to face significant hurdles, including: disproportionate rates of poverty, suicide, homelessness, violence, and a lack of insurance.
 
EQCA and EQCA Institute's new Fair Share for Equality program has been created to address to these disparities by educating legislators and mobilizing partners to ensure our "fair share" of resources are dedicated to advance the health and well-being of California's LGBT community.
 
The Fair Share for Equality Convening will take place on Wednesday, January 14th, 2015 from 10am-4pm at the SEIU California Headquarters in Sacramento and aims to bring together leaders from the LGBT community, legislators, and research experts from across the state. Panelists will be speaking on the disparities that the LGBT community faces and how government can potentially address them. Compiled from these remarks and resulting group discussions, a final report will be distributed to policy makers and the broader community.
 
The Fair Share for Equality Convening will be the first of its kind to bring together such a broad array of LGBT organizations, service providers and legislative offices with the goal of creating a thought-provoking venue for both discussion and collaboration. We value the important work your organization continues to do for the LGBT community we would love for you and/or additional participants from your organization to join us for this event. Click here for the event flyer.
 
PLEASE RSVP to [email protected] or 562-980-6058.