When people undergo life changes like marriage or divorce, moving to a new home in a new area, losing a job, or aging out of their parents’ insurance coverage, they may also face gaps in health care coverage.
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, wants to help.
Her bill SB 260, introduced on Feb. 12, will require health plans and insurers to give consumers who lose their coverage for any reason notices of the availability of Medi-Cal and Covered California coverage.
“SB 260 is a critical piece of legislation for communities in the Central Valley and throughout California,” said Hurtado. “Experiencing life transitions is inevitable, particularly in the Valley where communities face poverty at an alarming rate.”
The bill will also make it easier for Covered California to reach out to consumers, who have lost their coverage to help minimize gaps in their coverage. The bill eases that transition by assigning them to a low-cost Covered California plan. They then have the option to opt out of that plan or shop for another. SB 260 also makes it easier for Californians who lose Medi-Cal coverage when their income rises to gain access to a subsidized health plan through Covered California.
…“When someone loses Medi-Cal, they don’t have enough time to enroll in a Covered California plan that will start when their Medi-Cal ends,” said Jen Flory, policy advocate for Western Center on Law and Poverty. “This legislation will help ensure consumers don’t face gaps in coverage just because they start earning a little more money.”
