Sharon Grimm, current Cerritos College Adult Education Program student took the opportunity to enroll in healthcare at the health fair hosted by Senator Tony Mendoza.

The event which took place in the student center was on Saturday, Jan. 23.

The community had the opportunity to enroll as part of the Covered California program to meet the guidelines set by the Patient Protection and Affordable Act.

Senator Mendoza expressed, “I am aware that in our particular district the number of people who are not enrolled is very high, and I hope that with events like these we get more people on board, get them informed and comfortable with the process.”

The turnout for the event was low, however, Marisa Briones, a Covered California enrollment counsellor, said she hopes that by now people have enrolled since penalty fees are expected to have a significant increase from last year.

“The first year that Covered California began I felt hesitant about the idea that the government was forcing me to have health insurance, then I thought if I pay insurance for my car every month, why don’t I pay insurance to make sure I’m taken care of?

“That’s how I answer when my clients ask me why they should enroll[…] besides you know… it’s the law,” Ms.Briones concluded.

Grimm said, “I would like to let people know that the process is easier than they might believe.

“It only took me 15 minutes to get everything processed and now I’m abiding the law.”

She added, “If there’s one suggestion I can give the public is to make sure they do their research, which doctors and what clinics they would like to go and make sure their plan covers them.

The health fair not only offered the opportunity for attendees to enroll, but it also offered them the opportunity to speak with medical providers that included companies like Blue Shield, Anthem, and Kaiser Permanente.

Beth Trombley, a Kaiser Permanente representative, said “People should be aware that there are options when choosing providers and that they should consider which doctors and what coverage they would like access to.”

Deadline for open enrollment with Covered California is January 31, 2016.