Medi-Cal Renewal

Background

As of April 1, 2023, the yearly Medi-Cal renewal process, in which enrollees confirm their eligibility, has restarted. During California’s COVID-19 public health emergency, this redetermination process was waived and enrollees kept coverage regardless of their circumstances. With the process taking place again, however, thousands of Medi-Cal members may lose health coverage unless they act.

Counties have begun contacting enrollees and sending letters requesting information to see if they still qualify for coverage. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) aims to minimize the burden on Medi-Cal members and ensure they receive continuous coverage. To support this goal, HASC has created this resource page to assist member hospitals in reaching out to current enrollees.

Medi-Cal Renewal General Messaging and Resources

HASC asks our members to encourage current Medi-Cal enrollees to contact their local county office with any changes in contact or household information. Enrollees should report changes in their phone number, email address or mailing address. In addition, they should update the county on any status changes that might affect Medi-Cal eligibility. Reporting changes such as income level, disability status, a pregnancy or a new household member may help enrollees to continue receiving coverage.

Plan members should watch out for mail from Medi-Cal in the coming months and respond right away. Enrollees with questions about Medi-Cal coverage, or who have lost their coverage, should contact their local county office.

New or current enrollees who have moved or changed phone numbers since 2020 should make sure to update their contact information with Medi-Cal. To do so, enrollees can:

Medi-Cal members receiving Supplemental Security Income should report address changes by calling (800) 772-1213 or contacting a local Social Security office.

Additional resources

  • Medi-Cal Continuous Coverage information — DHCS webpage with background on the Continuous Coverage requirement ending and the campaign to contact enrollees about the renewal process
  • DHCS Communication Toolkit — Encourages Medi-Cal enrollees to update their contact information in order to receive coverage updates, and to report changes in circumstances that may affect eligibility

Additional toolkit examples

For HASC member reference only. Samples of custom toolkits created by health care organizations for outreach to their Medi-Cal enrollees:

Orange County Medi-Cal Renewal Resources

CalOptima Health is requesting hospitals’ support in raising awareness about the Medi-Cal renewal process, which affects all plan members. The County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) has begun renewing members’ Medi-Cal, requiring them to verify their eligibility for the program.

To avoid gaps in coverage, members should report any changes to their name, mailing address, email address or phone number so that SSA can contact them. Renewals will be based on the month CalOptima Health members first enrolled in Medi-Cal. Members will receive either a letter confirming they were renewed automatically or a renewal form in a yellow envelope that must be completed. If members receive a renewal form, they must submit their information within 60 days online, by phone, by mail or in person.

Orange County hospitals are asked to encourage CalOptima Health members to take action to keep their Medi-Cal by calling SSA at (800) 281-9799. CalOptima Health has also launched a Medi-Cal renewal communications toolkit for hospitals’ use. The toolkit includes information and resources about the renewal process that your hospital can share with members through your communication channels and social media pages, including:

  • Brandable flyers and posters
  • Social media messages and graphics
  • FAQs
  • Newsletter articles
  • Text messages

Riverside and San Bernardino County Resources

Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) has created informational tools and video messages for area partners who can help reach Medi-Cal members. “The redetermination process is perhaps the biggest issue facing the Medi-Cal program in its history,” says IEHP CEO Jarrod McNaughton. “The more people who know and understand the process, the more Medi-Cal members we can reach and help.”

Video messages

One-pagers