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Board unanimously approves ordinance letting CalOptima pursue Covered California participation
Summary
The board adopted an ordinance authorizing steps for CalOptima to pursue Covered California participation; CalOptima and local providers pledged to prioritize continuity of care for patients who cycle in and out of Medi‑Cal.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a code amendment on Jan. 14 permitting the Orange County Health Authority and CalOptima Health to pursue participation in Covered California. The ordinance passed on its second reading after provider testimony and supervisor questions about protecting Medi‑Cal beneficiaries.
Dr. Dylan Tran, CEO of Family Choice Medical Group, told the board that joining Covered California will help patients who lose Medi‑Cal eligibility maintain continuity of care. "Many of my patients who lose their Medi‑Cal eligibility have nowhere to turn to," Dr. Tran said, urging support for CalOptima’s application. Peter Baranoff, CEO of KPC Health, said the move would reduce gaps that force patients into emergency care and help stabilize provider rates.
Supervisor Janet Wynne pressed CalOptima staff for a commitment that outreach and resources would focus on the “churn” population — residents who move on and off Medi‑Cal — and not redirect Medi‑Cal funds for broad advertising. A CalOptima representative affirmed that the initiative’s guiding principles commit outreach to the targeted churn population, and Wynne said she supported adoption on that basis. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento and others said they had negotiated and secured language and that the board should proceed cautiously, focusing on continuity for the one million Medi‑Cal enrollees in the county and an initial Covered California population expected in the tens of thousands.
The board voted to adopt the ordinance without amendment. Staff and CalOptima will now proceed with the Covered California steering‑committee steps and continue targeted outreach to residents transitioning between Medi‑Cal and Covered California.
