SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California announced it will
discontinue posting of a provider directory on its web site until further
notice, after finding some errors in the physician lists.
While the combined provider directory was a useful service
for many consumers, some enrollees located physicians thought to be in their
plan, and subsequently discovered they were not.
Enrollees who selected a Covered California plan based on the
provider directory on the exchange web site should contact the health insurance
plan to verify the provider is in the network, or to ask for a different
provider in their area. The plans will work with enrollees to resolve these
situations on a case-by-case basis.
If enrollees find the resolution unsatisfactory, they can contact
Covered California’s Service Center to cancel enrollment in their plan, and
enroll in a different plan before the end of open enrollment period, March 31.
While Covered California will discontinue its combined
provider directory, it will continue to support consumers to find providers, by
supplying links to each health insurance plan’s provider directory. Consumers
can link to specific plan directories by clicking on “View Directory” while
previewing plans.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the
federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in
partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged
with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small
businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. With coverage
starting in 2014, Covered California helps individuals determine whether they
are eligible for premium assistance that is available on a sliding-scale basis
to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost
Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan
that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses can
purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees
the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax
credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state
government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers.
It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the Governor and the Legislature.
For more information on Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
