How to Cancel Medi‐Cal

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006.

This article has been viewed 204,643 times.

If you are a low-income California resident, you may qualify for health insurance through Medi-Cal. When you apply for medical coverage through Covered California, you're automatically evaluated for Medi-Cal. When there's a major change in your life, such as if you get married or get a new job, report the change as soon as possible. You don't actually have to do anything to cancel Medi-Cal, but if you want to end your coverage immediately, you can withdraw your application. [1] X Research source

To withdraw your application and immediately end your Medi-Cal coverage, contact your local county office and explain your situation—their representative will provide you with any next steps.

Reporting Changes

• Any change that affects your household size, such as marriage or divorce, adoption or birth of a child
• Any change that affects your income, such as gaining or losing a job
• Changes in citizenship or immigration status
• Change of address or incarceration
• Any change in disability status

• County office contact information is available at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/CountyOffices.aspx..
• When you get a social worker on the phone, tell them that you want to report a change to your Medi-Cal information.
• Ask specifically what documents you'll need to bring with you when you go to the office, and write down what the social worker says. Take down the social worker's name in case you have any questions or issues later.

• You can find a list of acceptable documents on the MyBenefitsCalWin website. If you haven't already, register for a free account on the website.

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• There are some standard forms available on the MyBenefitsCalWin website. If your local county office uses these forms, you can download these and fill them out ahead of time.

• The Notice of Action includes the date your Medi-Cal coverage will be terminated. You can apply for new health insurance with Covered California during a special enrollment period, but you only have 60 days from the date of termination.
• If you don't pick a new health insurance plan within 60 days of the date your Medi-Cal coverage ends, your special enrollment period will lapse and you'll have to wait until the open enrollment period to get coverage.

Withdrawing Your Application

• Find contact information for your local county office at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/CountyOffices.aspx.
• Call ahead and explain that you want to withdraw your application for Medi-Cal. The social worker will tell you what you need to bring with you to the office. You also may need to schedule an appointment. Take notes during the phone call and get the name of the social worker you talk to.

• You must provide the reason you want to withdraw your application and discontinue Medi-Cal coverage. For example, if you've gotten a new job and will have health insurance coverage through that job, you may want to cancel Medi-Cal immediately.
• You can download the form from the California Department of Health Care Services at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/forms/Forms/mc215.pdf.

• You can also go into your local county office and ask for a form to fill out there.
• When you submit your completed, signed form to the social worker, the original will be placed in your file. The social worker will give you a copy for your records.

Avoiding a Gap in Coverage

• To avoid being uninsured for any period of time, your new plan must start before your Medi-Cal plan ends. Check the dates carefully on the Notice of Action you receive.
• Even though you have 60 days to start a new plan, you still might have a gap in coverage if you wait until the end of that period to enroll.

• Visit the Covered California website at http://www.coveredca.com if you want to enroll in a new plan online.
• You can also call Covered California and apply over the phone. The toll-free number is 1-800-300-1506. Operators are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
• If you want to work with a certified enrollment counselor in person, you can visit your county social services office.

• If you have any questions about coverage, or don't understand how a plan works, talk to a certified enrollment counselor.

• If you don't set up automatic payments, you'll get a bill for your premium. That bill will be from the insurance company that administers the plan you selected – not from Covered California.
• Your new plan will be cancelled if you don't pay your premium by the due date. When your plan is cancelled for failure to pay, you are not eligible for another special enrollment period. You'll have to wait until the next open enrollment period to get health coverage.

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1. ↑http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-CalFAQs2014a.aspx#1
2. ↑http://www.coveredca.com/members/reporting-a-change/
3. ↑http://www.coveredca.com/members/reporting-a-change/
4. ↑http://www.coveredca.com/medi-cal/
5. ↑http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/forms/Forms/mc215.pdf
6. ↑https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/I6D5BB050D4B811DE8879F88E8B0DAAAE?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
7. ↑http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-CalFAQs2014a.aspx
8. ↑http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-CalFAQs2014a.aspx
9. ↑http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-CalFAQs2014a.aspx

About This Article

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 204,643 times.

To cancel Medi-Cal, you’ll need to fill out a form or contact your local county office. You can download a request for withdrawal form from the California Department of Healthcare Services website. When you fill out the form, provide the reason for your withdrawal application, which could be that you’re starting a new job and will be insured by your employer. Then, you’ll have to submit your form at your local county office in person. Alternatively, call up your local county office and explain you want to withdraw from Medi-Cal. A social worker will set up a meeting and tell you what information you need to bring to withdraw your application. For tips from our Legal co-author on how to apply for new health insurance, read on!

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