When Californians lose their jobs, many lose their health coverage as well. For those applying for or losing unemployment benefits, this bill requires California’s unemployment agency to share their information with Covered California in order to connect them with their coverage options.

Many Californians in Medi-Cal, especially Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color do not realize that they are eligible for mental health services or face barriers to access because of the lack of linguistic and cultural competency. The bill would require Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans to provide enrollees with information on their mental health benefits, right to timely access to care, and linguistically-relevant resources on how to navigate health care plans; while collecting direct patient experiences to inform the state on how to properly close racial disparities in mental health.

Despite the strong consumer protections for 27 million Californians in health plans regulated at the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), many are still denied or delayed in getting medically necessary services. DMHC’s financial penalties have not been updated for decades and plans often pay the penalties instead of improving care. The bill would update penalty amounts to hold plans accountable.