Press Release
Following Call from Bera and Capps, Covered California Resolves Issue for Pregnant Women Dropped from Health InsuranceNearly 2,000 California Women Were Unknowingly Switched or Terminated from Insurance After Reporting Pregnancy
Washington, DC,
October 7, 2016
Representatives Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-7) and Lois Capps (CA-24) today announced that Covered California has resolved an issue for pregnant women who have been dropped from their health insurance due to a computer glitch. As reported in the Sacramento Bee on April 18, nearly 2,000 women who reported their pregnancies to Covered California were switched to Medi-Cal, or in some cases dropped from their insurance altogether, without their knowledge. Bera and Capps were joined by 14 other California representatives in their call. “No woman should have to worry about losing health care while pregnant,” said Bera and Capps. “Prenatal health care is critically important for both mother and baby, and so is the peace of mind that comes with knowing your health coverage will be there when you need it. We’re pleased that Covered California has fixed this situation.” The text of the Representatives’ original letter is below: Diana Dooley Mr. Peter V. Lee Dear Secretary Dooley and Mr. Lee, We write to ensure that women in California have uninterrupted access to health care throughout their pregnancies. Prenatal care is critical for healthy births and provides a foundation of lifelong health. Your leadership to expand health coverage for uninsured pregnant women has made it possible for countless families to welcome healthy babies. Pregnancy-Related Medi-Cal and the Medi-Cal Access Program (MCAP) provide an important bridge to affordable care for working women. Optimal prenatal care begins early and includes regular visits to establish a continuous relationship with a team of providers. No woman should have to worry about losing health care while pregnant. That’s why we were concerned to learn that a glitch in the system has been terminating Covered California plans for pregnant women without notice. While we appreciate your efforts to ensure women can switch between plans, we remain concerned that until the problem is fixed in late 2016, women will continue to be unenrolled from their Covered California plans and lose access to their current medical providers. We encourage you to develop a proactive plan to ensure that there are no care interruptions. Specifically we ask that you notify all women before any changes in their health coverage are made. We thank you for your prompt attention to this issue and stand ready to work together to guarantee that all pregnant women are aware of their coverage options and have access to high quality prenatal care. Sincerely, |