If you received healthcare coverage through Medicare, but are not eligible for Medi-Cal, the current changes do not affect you.

All Medi-Cal beneficiaries, however, regardless of Medicare eligibility, most likely need to assign their Medi-Cal benefit to one of your county's Medi-Cal managed care health plans in order to continue to access to Medi-Cal benefits. This includes Long-Term Services and Support (LTSS), In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) and nursing facility care.

No, you don’t have to enroll in the Cal MediConnect program. However, dual eligible beneficiaries who do not wish to enroll in Cal MediConnect must opt out of the program. Otherwise, you’ll be automatically enrolled. This means Medi-Cal will choose your plan for you and you may need to go to a different doctor and/or hospital, which means that you may lose coverage to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and its physicians. Dual eligibles are people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal.

If you enroll in Cal MediConnect and decide that you want to change, you can opt out of the program at any point.

Also, if you want to keep your current Medicare plan and not participate in Cal MediConnect, you likely will still need to assign their Medi-Cal benefit to one of your county’s Medi-Cal managed care health plans in order to receive Medi-Cal benefts. Click here to view the Medi-Cal managed care health plan directory.

For more information, call 1-800-CEDARS-1, available 7 days a week, 6 am - 9 pm PT, or email insurance@cshs.org.

You'll still be responsible for the same Medicare and Medi-Cal premiums, copays and deductibles you had prior to enrolling in Cal MediConnect. There’s no change in cost to you as the beneficiary.

It's important to note that choices for physicians and hospitals will be limited in Cal MediConnect plans. You'll need to make sure that your preferred doctor and hospital are part of whichever option you choose. Referrals for specialty care will need to be coordinated through your primary care provider. For more information, call 1-800-CEDARS-1 (1-800-233-2771), available 7 days a week, 6 am - 9 pm PT, or email insurance@cshs.org.

Yes, your coverage doesn't change.

Yes, you may dis-enroll from Cal MediConnect and go back to regular Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan in any month.

To do this, call Health Care Options at 844-580-7272 (TTY: 800-430-7077), or contact your plan provider and tell them you would like to leave the program.

You likely will still need to be enrolled in a managed health plan for your Medi-Cal benefits. Leaving Cal MediConnect will only affect how you get your Medicare benefits.

Yes. The plans within Cal MediConnect may require pre-approval for seeing a specialist and a smaller number of doctors are included. For more information, call 1-800-CEDARS-1, available 7 days a week, 6 am - 9 pm PT, or email insurance@cshs.org.

The Cal MediConnect plan you choose is required to work with you to get you the care you need.

If your current doctor or other healthcare service is not in-network, you eventually will be required to change to an approved provider. In many cases, however, you may have some time before you must change physicians (12 months for Medi-Cal doctors and six months for Medicare doctors), as long as your provider agrees to accept your new health plan’s rates as payment. Click here for more details.

If you’re in a Medi-Cal nursing home, you’ll be able to stay unless the facility is excluded from your plan’s network for quality concerns.

Referrals for specialty care should be coordinated through your Primary Care Provider.

If you need to select a new plan, you’ll receive three different notices, sent 90, 60 and 30 days ahead of your enrollment date. Both Cal MediConnect beneficiaries and those in Medi-Cal fee-for-service who need to choose a managed care plan for their Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) will be receiving notices ahead of enrollment dates.

• 90 days ahead: This first notice will alert you to the coming change.
• 60 days ahead: This second notice will include a packet with information about plan benefits and provider networks to help you select a plan. This will include a plan that is the best match for you based on how many of your current providers are included in a plan’s provider network.
• 30 days ahead: This third notice will provide you with information about your specific plan. This will be the plan you chose based on the 60-day notice. If you’re dual eligible and do nothing, you may be automatically enrolled in Cal MediConnect, and the program will pick a healthcare plan for you. If this occurs, you may lose coverage for care at Cedars-Sinai and Cedars-Sinai doctors.

Those beneficiaries who are NOT eligible for Cal MediConnect and who are already enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan will receive one notice prior to the change in their benefit package. This change is the MLTSS program, which adds long-term services and supports to beneficiaries’ existing plan.¹

If you wish to keep your coverage for care at Cedars-Sinai and with Cedars-Sinai health providers, please call 1-800-CEDARS-1 and we can help answer your questions as they pertain to Cedars-Sinai.

To select your Cal MediConnect plan, or opt out of the program and keep regular Medicare, call Health Care Options at 844-580-7272 or TTY: 800-430-7077.

¹ www.calduals.org