Assemblymember Holden Applauds the Compromise Reached in Medi-Cal Contract Awards

Sacramento, CA – This week, Assemblymember Chris Holden applauded the compromise reached to ensure Medi-Cal access across the State. The request for proposal (RFP) awards announced earlier in 2022 were done so without enrollees’ input and consideration, and legislators such as Assemblymember Chris Holden (Pasadena), Senator Maria Elena Durazo (Los Angeles), and Assemblymember Luz Rivas (San Fernando Valley) spoke up.

“Other members and I questioned the reality this would bring to Medi-Cal enrollees and we could not stay silent,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “As a significant result, California’s path to progress in improving healthcare (Medi-Cal) quality and access will no longer be disrupted.”

After providers and enrollees pushed back and asked for a better solution, Medi-Cal will keep more insurance plans with the same providers – ensuring more Medi-Cal coverage throughout California is not disrupted. The California Department of Health Care Services announced that it has negotiated with five commercial health plans to provide Medi-Cal services in 2024, scratching a two-yearlong bidding process for the coveted state contracts.

This prevents enrollees’ worries of lack of coverage and supersedes the state’s previous plans of awarding contracts to only three health plans. As a result, Medi-Cal enrollees may get to keep current insurer and doctors, avoiding the reenrollment process for most members and bridging the gap in necessary patient care. Next, it will help the state avoid legal challenges and lawsuits from local and large insurers that have been left out of this process previously. A full list of the new awardees can be found here: https://calmatters.org/health/2023/01/medi-cal-insurance-plans/

“In a time that is still uncertain, we now can say for certain that Medi-Cal will continue to care for Californians irrespective of zip codes without disrupting their quality of care,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden.

###