Law Helps Smooth Transition From Medi-Cal to Covered California

A California law designed to help people transition from the state’s Medi-Cal Medicaid program to Affordable Care Act exchange plans has been successful at keeping people insured since its launch last year, according to a recent report from the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation. JoAnn Volk, the study’s lead author, tells AIS Health the analysis is based on “early data,” so it is too soon to draw any long-term conclusions, although she noted that insurers have praised the rollout. 

Starting in July 2023, people in California who lost Medi-Cal coverage could opt to be automatically enrolled in Covered California, the state’s marketplace. Those people were enrolled in a zero-premium or subsidized marketplace plan as the default option, although they also had the chance to opt out of coverage or select a different plan.