Health plan changes prompt committee request for data on members who lost PCPs and language-access gaps

Sanjay, chief medical officer at Valley Health Plan, briefed the committee on significant network disruptions following market changes: Optum/UnitedHealth shifts led to provider terminations that created gaps in members’ ability to see preferred primary-care providers. He described the state-required block-transfer process staff use to reassign members and noted that members are given about 10 days to choose a new PCP; continuity-of-care protections are available for one year under state rules and extensions for ongoing treatment are handled by case management.

Public comment from Michael Rogers, chair of the Health Advisory Commission, emphasized real-world impacts — delays to biopsies and interrupted care for patients in active cancer treatment — and asked how many members lost access to their chosen PCP. Supervisors asked VHP to produce disaggregated data showing how many members retained PCPs and how many were required to change; the committee formally requested that data and asked for a return in October.