Live in Shasta County and can't afford health insurance? Here's what you can do.

On Thursday, David Burdett sat in an alley behind a gas station in downtown Redding playing a guitar. His pant leg was up nearly to his calf, revealing an ankle that was swollen, discolored and red, with open sores.

Burdett, 38, said he had not seen a doctor to get treatment for his ankle. And he wasn't sure if he had health insurance to help pay for seeing a doctor, likely putting him in the category of residents that brought the executive director of Covered California to Redding earlier in the day.

Jessica Altman came to Redding on Thursday to get more people to sign up for Covered California, the state's health insurance assistance program. There are about 7,500 Shasta County residents signed up for the program, but there are thousands more throughout the North State who do not have health insurance and have not enrolled in the state program either, she said.

Altman stood near the Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River in Redding on Thursday to urge more people to sign up for the program that provides insurance for those who for some reason don't have health insurance.

"We don't have a specific statistic for Shasta County. But I can tell you in this region, there are tens of thousands of residents who remain uninsured yet eligible for low or no cost coverage," Altman said.

Covered California helps people obtain health insurance and provides financial assistance to help them pay for it, depending on their income level.

The program is geared toward those who don't have health insurance due to varying circumstances, such as their employer not offering insurance, they lost their job or they are self-employed and can't afford private insurance, Altman said.

Covered California works with several major private insurance companies in California and the insurance is accepted by most primary healthcare providers in the county, including the two major hospitals in Redding, Mercy Medical Center and Shasta Regional Medical Center, officials with the agency said.

Officials said that most people who do not have insurance say the cost is the biggest barrier to receiving coverage. While the average cost of health insurance through the program is expected to rise about 13% next year, Altman said her agency is increasing the amount of financial assistance available to residents in order to get more people to enroll.

"The one that I I think I would stress the most is people just assume it's not for them, it's not a program designed for them, it's not going to be affordable for them. And to those Californians, I would say take the 30 seconds to come to our website to enter those four pieces of information. Because also every year, we hear from consumers who say, 'I was one of those people. And then I came and checked, and it was more affordable than I ever thought that it could be,' particularly, as this year we are offering the greatest level of financial assistance we ever have before," Altman said.

Looking down at his ankle, Burdett acknowledged that he might need to have a doctor check it out.

"Well, it's good time to have health insurance. I tell you, I need to go get that checked out," he said.

Covered California provides insurance for more than physical ailments, officials said. It also provides insurance to help people with mental health needs, said Matilda Grace, president of the Shasta County Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The need for mental health treatment is especially acute in rural areas like Shasta County, which she said has one of the highest suicide rates in California.

"The time of simply pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps is over. Mental illness is a real medical condition and effective treatments must be made available. Health insurance should provide comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder coverage without arbitrary limits on treatment," Grace said.

Residents interested in learning more about Covered California can visit the agency website or call 800-300-1506.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Covered California says it helps those who can't afford health coverage.