Over the last few months, and in collaboration with our county and federal partners, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has embarked on a journey to redetermine eligibility for Californians who are receiving health coverage through our Medi-Cal program.
For context, in March of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government paused all Medi-Cal eligibility renewals. In California that pause ended on March 31, 2023, as did the continuous coverage requirement, and Medi-Cal redeterminations resumed in June 2023. Between June 2023 and May 2024, more than 15 million Medi-Cal members will have their eligibility redetermined.
Our collective priority has been to make sure Californians remain covered. Keeping eligible Medi-Cal members enrolled in coverage provides them with access to comprehensive health care benefits; reduces pressure on emergency or urgent care services because people are empowered to seek care earlier; and ultimately helps support the overall productivity and success of our state’s economy.
We have learned a lot of important lessons from our counties, our Medi-Cal members, and community partners through this process. We have taken up additional federal flexibilities that help reduce the administrative burden on our Medi-Cal members and increase efficiencies in our renewals processing.
Download the Issue Brief now.
This issue brief summarizes the flexibilities California has leveraged from the federal government and the technical assistance it has utilized from the United States Digital Services (USDS) to increase our auto-renewal processes, allowing for a much more streamlined process for our Medi-Cal members.