If you are enrolled in Medi-Cal, as more than one-third of Californians are, make sure your county knows how to reach you, or you could lose your health coverage unnecessarily.
You will likely hear and see public messages over the coming weeks urging you to update your contact information. Heed them.
Then, sometime between now and next spring, you’ll probably receive mail from the agency that administers Medi-Cal in your county telling you if you are still eligible for the safety-net health insurance program or asking for more information about your employment status, income, and household size. An information request would likely come in a bright-yellow envelope containing a roughly 20-page form about six weeks before the start of your renewal month.
Be on the alert: Medi-Cal is warning about scammers who have been contacting enrollees and requesting a fee to help people renew coverage. Don’t fall for it. No payment is required to renew your coverage.
But be sure to open your mail and respond to any official request for personal information. And be aware that updating your information could push you off Medi-Cal if your income has risen or if you have access to other insurance.
If you need help with any of this, especially that daunting renewal form, keep reading.
Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income residents, has embarked on a 14-month effort to reexamine the eligibility of its nearly 15.8 million members. It is part of the massive “unwinding” being undertaken by all state Medicaid programs after three pandemic years during which their rolls swelled. States had agreed, in exchange for extra funding from the feds, not to boot anyone except in cases such as fraud, death, or a move out of state.
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