Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | September 2020

HEALTHY 4 Medi-Cal is always the payer of last resort, so the OHC will be your primary insurance. You or your family member may have OHC if: ● You have health insurance through your job, Covered California, your spouse or partner, or if you bought insurance on your own ● You became eligible because of a new life event—getting married, for example ● You have court-ordered coverage for dependent children Your OHC may have ended if: ● Your health coverage switched from Covered California to Medi-Cal ● Your job ended or you were laid off ● You did not work enough hours to qualify for insurance through your job ● You stopped paying your insurance premiums ● You canceled your insurance for any reason Who do I contact to update my OHC information? If you have Medi-Cal, call your county’s Medi-Cal office or go to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) website. It is important that you give them your new information so they can update your case. They will have to verify that your OHC has ended before they can update your information. To update your information by phone, call: ● Merced County: 209-385-3000 ● Monterey County: 877-410-8823 ● Santa Cruz County: 888-421-8080 To update your information on the California DHCS website, go to: www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/ TPLRD_OCU_cont.aspx . You should also call the Alliance’s Member Services Department at 800-700-3874 to update your information. Why is it important that I update my OHC? ● To make sure there are no problems with being seen at your doctor’s office or getting prescriptions at the pharmacy ● So you will not get a bill from your doctor’s office The flu shot: Why timing matters When it comes to getting your yearly flu shot, it pays to be an early bird. Here’s why: It takes about two weeks after the shot for your body to build immunity and start protecting against the flu. So it’s a good idea to get yours before the flu starts going around. When is the best time? As soon as the shot is available in the fall. It’s good to have it done by the end of October. But even in January or later, a flu shot is worth it. The flu is still active well into the spring. Yearly flu shots are a good idea for everyone in your family 6 months and older. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention What you need to know about Other Health Coverage (OHC)