New Research Reveals Long Medi-Cal Call Wait Times, Which Undermines Access to Coverage for Californians
More than 30% of counties disconnected callers attempting to renew coverage due to high call volume
For immediate release
Contact:
Maya Meinert
Director of Communications
The Children’s Partnership
(213) 341-0383
media@childrenspartnership.org
[LOS ANGELES] August 7, 2024 – Today The Children’s Partnership released seminal research on Medi-Cal enrollees’ experience renewing their health coverage over the phone. The study, conducted by research firm WestGroup Research, examined call line responsiveness from Medi-Cal offices in 44 California counties. Findings showed that Californians have encountered significant barriers to phone assistance with Medi-Cal renewals – despite a federal law requiring state Medicaid programs to make renewals accessible via phone.
“Keeping Medi-Cal coverage is essential to the health and economic stability of California families,” said Mayra E. Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership. “Public programs should work for the public. How can we expect families to renew their coverage when they must wait up to two hours to connect with Medi-Cal or the call is dropped? Who has that time to dedicate to staying on the phone during the work day, especially people who have jobs with inflexible schedules? That’s not access.”
Key findings from the research include:
- Callers were on hold for an average of 55 minutes across the counties measured.
- In some counties, such as Kern, Fresno and Sacramento, the average wait time was over an hour and a half.
- Many enrollees’ calls were disconnected due to high call volumes without enrollees being given a call-back option.
- More than 30% of counties surveyed with automated call systems (14 of 44) – including 6 of the 10 counties with highest enrollments – disconnected callers due to high call volume.
- In some counties, including Alameda and San Bernardino, over 44% of calls were disconnected due to high call volume.
- Non-English language support is insufficient, despite 35% of Medi-Cal enrollees speaking a language other than English as their primary language.
- Even callers who selected non-English phone options received lengthy instructions in English first, which can lead callers to wrongly conclude that support in their preferred language is not available.
Notably, performance in some counties show that efficient phone access is possible. Three of the top enrollment counties – San Diego, Santa Clara and Riverside – and many smaller enrollment counties, maintained call wait times under 15 minutes.
“What is clear is Medi-Cal needs to work better for Californians. The state needs to monitor and ensure that call systems are responsive to enrollees and in compliance with federal renewal access laws,” noted Alvarez. “Senate Bill 1289 (Roth) would direct the state to do just that.”
Medi-Cal is a major source of health care coverage in California, covering just under 15 million Californians and over half of all children in the state. Access to online, in-person and over-the-phone assistance to enroll and renew coverage is critical to making sure that enrollees can get and keep the coverage they need. While California has adopted many effective strategies to streamline Medi-Cal renewals, the state still has one of the highest rates of “procedural” disenrollments in the country, which means that eligible enrollees are losing coverage due to administrative barriers, such as the inability to connect with Medi-Cal workers for help with renewals.
Fortunately, SB 1289 (Roth) on Medi-Cal call system standards and reporting would provide an important step toward accountability and making Medi-Cal work better for families by requiring the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to collect and report county call center data and identify areas for improvement.
Additional Contacts
To learn more about families’ Medi-Cal renewal experiences, contact:
Christopher Gomez, outreach & enrollment manager, Northeast Valley Health Corporation, at christophergomez@nevhc.org
For questions about San Diego County’s Medi-Cal phone system and processes, contact:
Adriana Ramirez, Deputy Director, Self-Sufficiency Services, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency, at Adriana.Ramirez@sdcounty.ca.gov
Yenissa Salgado, Chief of Agency Operations, Self-Sufficiency Services, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency, at Yenissa.Salgado@sdcounty.ca.gov
For questions about SB 1289, contact:
Linda Nguy, associate director of policy advocacy, Western Center on Law and Poverty (bill co-sponsor), at lnguy@wclp.org
Jen Flory, consultant, Sen. Richard D. Roth’s Senate Health Committee office, at Jen.flory@sen.ca.gov
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About The Children’s Partnership
The Children’s Partnership (TCP) is a California-based children’s policy and advocacy organization committed to advancing child health equity through public policy, research and community engagement. TCP envisions a California where all children—regardless of their race, ethnicity or place of birth—have the resources and opportunities they need to grow up healthy and thrive. Learn more at childrenspartnership.org.
About WestGroup Research
WestGroup Research is a full-service marketing research, data analytics and consulting firm. Established in 1959, WestGroup serves clients around the country and worldwide, and is proud to be trusted by some of the world’s most recognizable brands to deliver high quality data, agile service and meaningful insights. Visit westgroupresearch.com to learn more.
