Scotts Valley, Calif., March 29, 2023 — Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance), the Medi-Cal managed health care plan for residents of Merced, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties, is urging people with Medi-Cal to update their county with any changes to their information to determine eligibility for Medi-Cal to ensure they do not lose their Medi-Cal coverage.
During the pandemic, Medi-Cal members were able to continue their coverage without the typical annual redetermination process. Once the federal government ends its continuous Medicaid coverage protection on March 31, 2023, the full Medi-Cal eligibility redetermination process will resume.
On February 17, 2023, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) began mailing an outreach letter to Medi-Cal members informing them of the steps they must take to minimize their risk of losing Medi-Cal health coverage. The letter encourages Medi-Cal members to update their county office with any changes to their information. (County office phone numbers: Merced County, 855-421-6770; Monterey County, 877-410-8823; Santa Cruz County, 888-421-8080.) Examples of changes that need to be reported include changes to address or other contact information, if someone in the household becomes pregnant or gives birth, changes to who is living in the household, income changes, immigration status changes and any other changes that affect a family’s eligibility.
To ensure members are aware of the steps they need to take to keep their Medi-Cal coverage, the Alliance has launched a bi-lingual media campaign in its tri-county service area, created member flyers and has a dedicated web page at www.thealliance.health/updatemedi-cal. The Alliance is also texting members who have provided a cell phone number to remind them to update their information with their county to keep their Medi-Cal coverage.
Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance) is a regional Medi-Cal managed care health plan, established in 1996 to improve access to health care for over 416,000 members in Merced, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Using the state’s County Organized Health System (COHS) model, the Alliance delivers innovative community-based health care services by connecting members with providers that deliver timely services and care, focused on prevention, early detection and effective treatment. As an award-winning managed care health plan with a vision of “healthy people, healthy communities,” the Alliance remains focused on efforts to improve access to quality health care for its members. For more information, visit www.thealliance.health.
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