For years private health care managed by greedy insurance companies had left thousands without coverage. Then Covered California, a wholly owned subsidiary of Obamacare, rushed to the rescue. Now everybody has with easy access, lower costs and superior care. That glowing government narrative leaves out a few harsh realities. As Emily Bazar of the CHCF Center for Health Reporting notes: “A worrisome trend is emerging among some Californians who thought they were safe and secure under Covered California: Their plans are being canceled without consent and sometimes without notice.”

Bazar sites the case of couple who signed up for an Anthem plan under Covered California and paid premiums but then the plan was canceled without input or permission. The couple was shoved onto Medi-Cal, a problem because “finding doctors who accept Medi-Cal is even more challenging than finding doctors who participate in Covered California’s limited networks.” Many of these people now in Medi-Cal “already have paid thousands of dollars in deductibles and co-pays, and some have even met their out-of-pocket limit under their Covered California plans.” They stand little chance of getting their money back. Others have been “dropped outright,” including a woman who only learned about the cancellation from her local pharmacy. It turns out that Covered California “told the insurer to cancel the policy,” without telling the policyholder.

David Spady, California director of Americans for Prosperity, notes that under Covered California, premiums have gone up for two years in a row, with increases between 22 and 88 percent. This from legislation that was supposed to lower premiums and bring everybody into the fold. Californians are “looking at higher premiums, worse coverage and back payments to the IRS.” It gets worse. As we noted, Covered California wasted $1.3 million on an absurd promotional video with Richard Simmons and paid $20,000 a month to former state finance director Ana Matosantos.

For all but the willfully blind Covered California constitutes government malpractice and abuse. Though dysfunctional and dangerous for the workers, Covered California works well as a cash cow for the ruling class.