California state agency asks UCLA Fielding's Dr. Ninez Ponce to help explain health insurance options

Dr. Ninez Ponce, professor and chair in the Department of Health Policy Management and director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, was a featured speaker at an event hosted by Covered California encouraging Californians to choose their health insurance plan before the enrollment deadline.

To combat dropping health insurance enrollment rates in California, Ponce joined other health care leaders at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles on Jan. 30 to encourage people to sign up for a Covered California health plan before the deadline.

“After years of steady enrollment increases across most ethnic groups since the passage of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits in 2021, Covered California’s new enrollment is down across all of those same groups this year,” said Ponce, who holds the Fred W. & Pamela K. Wasserman Endowed Chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

This year has seen the largest health insurance premium increases in 15 years due to the passage of the budget reconciliation bill in late 2025, and the ongoing conversations around enhanced premium tax credits, which provided additional savings for consumers.

Ponce cited statistics that showed new enrollment is down 32% overall in California, but among those who identified as Latinx, it’s down 38% and among Black or African Americans, new enrollment is down 34%.

New enrollment among Asian Americans is down 23%, but it varies by subgroup, she said. Excluding those who identified as Chinese or Asian Indian, new signups are matched or exceeded by cancellations among other Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander groups.

“Obviously, rising premiums and costs are the primary factor for the disenrollment, but we know there is a general distrust and unease about the government among many immigrant communities,” Ponce said. “That’s why events like this one and the outreach Covered California has been doing the past few months is so important. Data shows us every year - having some health insurance coverage is much better than having none at all.”

The event was organized by Covered California and featured remarks from Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California; Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's Community Health; Grace Park, manager of clinical services at Koreatown Youth and Community Center; and a Covered California enrollee.

Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, and it offers the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs.