Losing Medicaid or Medi-Cal coverage

When your Medicaid or Medi-Cal coverage ends, you have a variety of options to stay covered, including:

• A Kaiser Permanente individual or family plan
  • You can buy an individual or family plan directly through Kaiser Permanente or your state’s health benefit exchange.
  • Financial assistance may be available. To see if you qualify, visit buykp.org.

• Employer-sponsored coverage from your employer or through a spouse, domestic partner, or parent (for children up to age 26). Each employer or organization has their own enrollment rules, so check for eligibility information.
• Medicare plans if you’re 65 or older. Some people with disabilities under 65 are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid or Medi-Cal. If you’re enrolled in a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) and no longer qualify for Medicaid, you’ll need to choose a different Medicare plan. To learn about your Medicare plan options, visit kp.org/medicare or call 1-855-832-0353 (TTY 711), 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, to speak with a Kaiser Permanente Medicare specialist.

Depending on the coverage option you choose, that date can vary.

• Individual or family plan through Kaiser Permanente or the health benefit exchange — Coverage may start the first day of the month after you lose your coverage.
• Employer-sponsored coverage —  You’ll have 60 days to enroll after the termination of your Medicaid plan. Enrollment rules vary among employers and organizations. Check with your employer or HR representative for details.
• Medicare — Coverage may start as early as the first day of the following month, depending on when you apply.

Depending on your family size and income level, you may qualify for financial assistance. Financial assistance through Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Financial Assistance and Charitable Health Coverage programs is available in some areas, and government-funded programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can help you stay covered. 

• Learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Financial Assistance and Charitable Health Coverage programs.
  
• Check healthcare.gov or your state’s health benefit exchange to see if you qualify for CHIP or other government-funded programs.

If you’ve had a qualifying life change — like losing Medicaid or Medi-Cal — you can apply for coverage for a limited time outside the yearly open enrollment period. This is called a special enrollment period.

• If you’re applying for an individual plan, your special enrollment period typically lasts for 60 days after the date of your life change, or 60 days before an expected life change.
• If you’re applying for coverage through your employer, your special enrollment period lasts at least 30 days from the date of your life change. The length of time varies by employer.

You’ll want to act quickly: If you don’t apply by your deadline, you’ll usually need to wait until the following year’s open enrollment period to apply for new coverage.