Can I drop private insurance and just use Medi-Cal for my child?

Some families want to drop their private insurance and rely on Medi-Cal as a primary health plan for their child in order to cut costs. Other families have concerns about access to care, or they want to simplify their child's care.

Whether you can drop private insurance and use only Medi-Cal depends on the type of health plan you currently have. You can cancel private insurance and keep Medi-Cal only if you are currently paying premiums for the child’s primary insurance. In general, it's not recommended to eliminate private insurance, but people do what’s right for their families. However, if you’re not paying out-of-pocket premiums for the private insurance, such as if you have an employer-sponsored health plan, you cannot refuse that coverage and use Medi-Cal as primary insurance.

For more information, see Troubleshooting Common Issues with Public and Private Health Plans.