A note from John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan:
Did you know that the majority of adult Medicaid beneficiaries work? While 43% work full-time and 18% percent work part-time, most of them are employed by small businesses that can’t afford to offer health insurance to their workers. Medi-Cal helps to keep those workers healthy, but the health of that workforce is threatened by Medi-Cal renewals – a process that has resumed after a three-year hiatus.
Of the nearly 16 million Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal, about 75% will be required to fill out renewal paperwork. With many people having relocated during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, it is crucial that Medi-Cal beneficiaries update their information with their current county or state of residence. Without confirming this information is correct, beneficiaries who have moved risk not receiving renewal packets. And if renewal forms are not filed on time, Medi-Cal recipients will lose health coverage. A recent study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that Medicaid-eligible people who are not enrolled in health coverage are likely to delay getting the care they need. Not only will that mean more costly care, it may also leave many unable to work.
Medi-Cal beneficiaries may not even be aware that they have lost coverage until they try to refill a prescription or make a doctor’s appointment. Once coverage is lost, these individuals will need to take time to reapply and regain coverage. During that time, they may have to pay out of pocket or forgo care. The consequences of lost coverage are widespread, resulting in increased emergency room visits due to unreceived preventive care, and strain on small businesses. Costly emergency care visits for uninsured individuals mean in-demand resources are stretched further, ultimately leading to increased health care costs for everyone.
As the CEO of a health plan that serves more than 2.7 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries, I believe it’s up to all of us to help preserve health coverage for this already vulnerable population. Since every beneficiary’s renewal date is different, it will take a year to get through all of the renewals. Los Angeles County has kicked off a year-long plan to raise awareness about the resumption of renewals, and I call on business leaders to join the effort. If you have workers who are Medi-Cal beneficiaries, ask them if they have received their renewal packet. If they haven’t, urge them to go to benefitscal.com to find out when they are due for renewal. Giving Medi-Cal beneficiaries the information they need to stay covered means better health for them and all of California.