Thousands of Central Coast residents risk losing Medi-Cal Coverage

CENTRAL COAST, Calif.— Thousands of Santa Barbara County Residents are at risk of losing Medi-Cal Coverage by failing to respond to an annual questionnaire.

This annual questionnaire was put on hold during the pandemic so that health care would be available to as many people as possible.

Now that things have settled, the annual questionnaire is back to determine eligibility. But even those who are eligible are at risk of losing their benefits.

According to CenCal Health 30,000 to 60,000 members in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County can lose coverage by the end of the year.

Those at highest at risk for losing coverage are people who’ve moved since the beginning of the pandemic, are not fluent in English, do not have a permanent address, or have never been through the re-evaluation process before.

Responding to the annual questionnaire is critical to ensuring that coverage continues for those who remain eligible.

Some of the information requested in the Medi-Cal redetermination package are updates about income, disabilities, and family size.

Recipients have 60 days to provide the requested information upon receiving the package in the mail. Since the package goes to the last known address on file, anyone who has had a change of mailing address, name, phone number, or email address since the start of the pandemic must update their information. They can do this through their local Department of Social Services

The process can be done via phone, online, fax, or in person.

Find out more about the Medi-Cal redetermination process and find local organizations that can help with the annual questionnaire at KeepCenCal.org

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