As the COVID-19 public health emergency comes to an end, it is important that Medi-Cal recipients take certain steps to ensure that they continue to receive their medical benefits.
Some people might be confused by this change, but don’t worry, here are the steps you need to take, starting April 1, so you don’t go unprotected.
Calls have been made for the approximately 1.6 million Californians who received medical benefits through Medi-Cal during the pandemic to ensure they don’t lose coverage.
“A lot of patients are a little confused,” said Martin Isaac, customer service supervisor at Kheir Clinic.
The confusion, as Isaac, who works at Kheir Clinic helping patients, told us, is because they received re-registration forms in the mail.
“A lot of them take it like the letter says they’ve already been taken away,” Isaac said.
But it’s not like that, it’s simply a requirement that was reinstated after the pandemic, to confirm that people who receive Medi-Cal are still eligible for benefits.
What they are asking for is very simple:
“They want to check your name, address, phone number, if there’s a new person in your household, for Medi-Cal and your income, if it’s changed,” Isaac said.
If you have already received the form, complete it and return it as soon as possible.
“If people don’t renew, they will unfortunately lose their benefits,” he added.
And if for some reason you still don’t receive the form, don’t worry, you can call 866-613-3777, talk to your caseworker, or even faster and easier visit www.benefitscal.com and create an account where You can view your benefits, re-enroll and update your information.
And don’t panic, if you are still eligible and follow the required steps, you will continue to receive your benefits.
“That there’s not so much panic either and that they’re not going to miss their doctor’s appointments thinking they’re going to cut it already, not knowing that nothing happened,” Isaac said.
Although renewals start this April 1st, each beneficiary will receive their package to update their data according to the month in which they initially registered. In other words, if it was June of last year, for example, you will have until June to register again.