In April of last year, Medi-Cal resumed its renewal process by redetermining eligibility for members. According to the California Budget and Policy Center, over 1.4 Million Californians lost Medi-Cal coverage.
In response, Covered California launched the Medi-Cal to Covered California enrollment program. So far, they’ve helped over 158 thousand California citizens remain insured.
Katie Ravel, the Director of Policy, says they are still reaching out to uninsured Californians.
“Covered California will be reaching out to individuals who lose Medi-Cal under a state law that will permanently help consumers transition. So it's an auto-enrollment program. So when you lose Medi-Cal, we will automatically select a plan for consumers with the most financial assistance.”
While Covered California’s enrollment period starts in November, their special enrollment allows for people with qualifying life events to enroll now.
Associate Chief Medical Officer, Barbara Rubino, said that those who remain uninsured could have dire consequences.
"Once people get health insurance, they can take advantage of those great benefits to find a doctor, a clinic. Without health insurance, people are faced with really tough decisions. My patients bring these up to me in our clinic visits sometimes, how expensive it is to pick up their medications depending on if they're covered or not. They make tough choices about whether to take care of themselves and their medical conditions or put food on the table for their families. Health insurance helps people afford and get into the healthcare system that can provide them health care."
For more information, visit CoveredCA.com.
For KVCR News, I’m Toni Lopez