A large dance troop took the stage at College of the Desert campus in Palm Desert on Wednesday with an interpretative dance, with one message: life can change in an instant. That’s the motto of the Covered California bust tour.

Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California says they’re taking this message on the road to promote the open enrollment period, “Many people think I‘m healthy ‘Ha, I‘m healthy, I don’t need health insurance,’ the reality is 50,000 people with covered California last year had a cancer diagnosis, none of them planned to get cancer.”

Officials hope this message resonates with the uninsured and encourages them to sign up for the state run health insurance, “We’re now in open enrollment, this is the one time each year when no one can be turned away from getting health insurance and millions can actually get financial help.”

Linda Evans, Mayor of La Quinta who is also a community advocate with the desert’s hospitals says this promotes what her city and Desert Health Network stand for, “We as a network of hospitals and clinics serve all people in our community, we work very hard for the uninsured to become insured and covered California was an avenue to do that.”

Covered California complies with the the federal mandated affordable care act commonly known as “Obamacare”, something that has been confusing to many.

“People can go to coveredcalifornia.com and find local insurance agents right here in the valley who can help people sign up because health insurance can be confusing but you can get answers with an instant right here in the Coachella Valley,” says Lee.

Lee says while they’re already changing lives in the valley like the ones of Isidro Chavez and his family who says he’s glad he signed up, there’s more work to do, “But there are still many more that are eligible who haven’t signed up, we want to make sure we leave no one behind.”

The deadline is January 15, 2019.

Website: Covered California

Covered California’s Bus Tour Stops in the Valley to Promote Healthcare Insurance