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Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, California resumed its normal processes to redetermine eligibility for Medi-Cal enrollees in April 2023. It will be imperative to help many of these Californians transition to other types of coverage and to ensure that those who remain eligible keep their Medi-Cal coverage.

If you are a Medi-Cal enrollee who has moved or changed phone numbers since 2020, make sure to update your contact information with Medi-Cal. Visit the California Department of Health Care Services’ Keep Your Medi-Cal website or contact your local Medi-Cal office. You can also call the Medi-Cal Member Helpline at (800) 541-5555. Be on the lookout for mail from Medi-Cal in the coming months and respond promptly. If you need help, contact the Health Consumer Alliance.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, states received increased Medicaid funding on the condition that they would postpone disenrollments as long as the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) remained in effect. This “continuous coverage” requirement allowed millions of Californians to stay on Medi-Cal during an unprecedented health crisis.

The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 specified that the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement would no longer be linked to the PHE. The requirement ended on March 31, 2023.

Medi-Cal resumed its normal renewal processes on April 1, 2023. From that start date, it has 14 months to redetermine eligibility for around 15 million current enrollees. It’s estimated that during this “unwinding period,” two to three million Californians may leave the program. The vast majority will be eligible for other types of coverage but may need help transitioning. Many Californians who remain eligible for Medi-Cal are at risk of getting disenrolled from the program simply due to administrative or procedural barriers, such as Medi-Cal eligibility offices lacking enrollees’ current addresses after the last two tumultuous years.

This collection highlights recommendations and tools to help the state and key partners navigate the unwinding period while minimizing disruptions to Californians’ access to care and coverage.

In addition to the resources below, see Covered California’s Auto Enrollment Toolkit (available on this page under “Medi-Cal Transition”). Soon after the federal continuous coverage requirement ends, Covered California will begin automatically notifying and completing plan selection for Californians who lose Medi-Cal coverage if they are eligible for a subsidized plan on Covered California. The toolkit provides more information for consumers and enrollment partners.

 

Publication

Key Takeaways from Medi-Cal Redetermination Data

February 2024
Amy Adams
Coverage Trends
State data from June through November 2023 show that Medi-Cal enrollees who are seniors or have a disability are being disenrolled at a disproportionately high rate.
CHCF Blog

State Works to Increase Access to Medi-Cal As Millions Seek Enrollment Renewal

January 4, 2024
Heather Stringer
Medi-Cal, Health Equity, Expanding Health Coverage
From the front lines of eligibility redetermination, a California Department of Health Care Services official shares insights and recommendations.
CHCF Blog

Efforts to Improve Medi-Cal Enrollment Process Are Paying Off

February 29, 2024
Heather Stringer
Medi-Cal, Health Equity
The enrollment director for eight Bay Area community clinics shares her perspective as patients face the challenges of eligibility redetermination.
CHCF Blog

How to Improve Medi-Cal Enrollment Renewals for Millions

December 6, 2023
Heather Stringer
Medi-Cal, Health Equity
The first in a series of CHCF Blog articles about government agencies, community-based organizations, and other key groups on the front lines of the unwinding.
External Resource

DHCS: ​​​Keep Your Medi-Cal​

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This page from the California Department of Health Care Services is for Medi-Cal enrollees. It outlines steps they can take to help keep their Medi-Cal coverage as the state resumes normal eligibility renewal processes.
External Resource

Health Consumer Alliance Keep Your Coverage Resource Page

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
HCA provides wide range of resources for consumers and those assisting them to help people stay covered.
CHCF Blog

Medi-Cal Enrollees: Here’s How to Verify Your Eligibility

May 8, 2023
Bernard Wolfson
Medi-Cal, Health Equity
California’s safety-net health program has resumed annual eligibility checks after three years. That means enrollees will need to provide updated personal information to maintain coverage. Here’s what to watch for.
External Resource

Renew Your Medi-Cal Online with BenefitsCal

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
Here are the steps to renew Medi-Cal coverage online through BenefitsCal, the one-stop shop to apply for a variety of California public benefits. It includes an instructional video.
External Resource

Thousands of Californians are losing Medi-Cal every month. What to do if you lose coverage.

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This CalMatters article (published September 18, 2023) outlines actions Californians can take if they lose their Medi-Cal coverage. It also lists organizations that can help.
External Resource

Kaiser Family Foundation Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This tracker presents monthly Medicaid disenrollments, renewals, overall enrollment and other key indicators reported by states, including California. The data are pulled from state websites, where available, and from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
External Resource

State Health and Value Strategies: Resources for States on Unwinding

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This resource page serves as an accessible one-stop source of information for states in “unwinding” the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement. Specific resources and tools on topics such as health equity, data/IT, and consumer outreach are provided.
Publication

Medi-Cal Renewal for People Experiencing Homelessness: Toolkit

September 2023
Homebase
Homelessness & Health Care
This toolkit equips service providers, people experiencing homelessness, health enrollment navigators, and communities with the resources to keep current Medi-Cal members covered. It is available in English and Spanish.
Publication

Communicating to Medi-Cal Members About the Unwinding

June 2023
ThinkNow
Medi-Cal, Payment & Financing
Focus group research tested the effectiveness of the state’s outreach materials for Medi-Cal members about the unwinding.
External Resource

Op-Ed: Preserving Health Coverage for Millions of Californians Requires All of Us

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This op-ed in Capitol Weekly (published August 8, 2023) from the CEO of L.A. Care health plan outlines steps that neighbors, state and local governments, and community advocates can take to help Medi-Cal members keep their coverage during the unwinding.
External Resource

​​​​​​​​​​​Medi-Cal ​​Continuous Coverage Unwinding Dashboard

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This webpage from the Department of Health Care Services includes the dashboard, which tracks key measures, including total enrollment, applications in progress, redeterminations, and disenrollments. It will be updated monthly.
CHCF Blog

Medicaid's Continuous Coverage Requirement Is Over. What’s Next for California?

April 5, 2023
Amy Adams
Medi-Cal, Health Equity
Using best policies and practices, California has the opportunity to ensure that the Medi-Cal eligibility and enrollment system always prioritizes keeping people covered.
External Resource

DHCS: Medi-Cal COVID-19 PHE and Continous Coverage Operational Unwinding Plan

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This plan provides a comprehensive view of the California Department of Health Care Services' (DHCS) plan to "unwind" the flexibilities implemented over the course of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), including the resumption of normal Medi-Cal eligibility operations.
External Resource

DHCS: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Keeping Medi-Cal Beneficiaries Covered

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
This one-stop shop from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) provides key resources and information for all who want to help keep Californians covered after the end of the continous coverage requirement. It includes information on its Coverage Ambassadors program and the Medi-Cal continuous coverage toolkit.
External Resource

CMS: Unwinding and Returning to Regular Operations after COVID-19

Medi-Cal and the End of the Federal Continuous Coverage Requirement
These tools and resources from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are designed to help states return to normal Medicaid operations after the conclusion of the COVID-19 PHE.