Some Los Angeles County residents are alleging they were incorrectly dropped from California's Medicaid program and as a result have faced challenges with regaining health coverage and seeking care from physicians, Los Angeles Times reports.
A state official said Medi-Cal's backlog grew between June 2015 and March 2016 as notification letters sent to those with discontinued Medi-Cal eligibility were being updated. Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County accessed data on Medi-Cal renewal packets that showed as of September, 24,545 renewal applications had not been scanned into the county's system. Some of those applications dated back to January, according to the report.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement to Los Angeles Times, "I am aware of the Medi-Cal coverage situation that resulted in some cancellations, and my office is conducting a review of the matter."
The Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services, which processes Medi-Cal applications and renewals, did not say if individuals were incorrectly dropped from the program. The department has been threatened with a lawsuit, according to the report.
Affected individuals said they submitted paperwork to renew coverage. Attorney David Kane with Neighborhood Legal Services said he thinks officials are not processing applications in the 60 days before beneficiaries' official renewal date, and as a result beneficiaries are being automatically deleted in the program's computer system. Mr. Kane said more than 200 people contacted the organization saying their Medi-Cal coverage was incorrectly dropped, though he predicts thousands could be affected.