Covered California will stop sending paper notification letters to consumers who indicated they preferred email communication.
In a March update to the Covered California enrollment software, individuals and families who indicated their preferred method of contact was email will actually start to get notifications from Covered California to their email addresses. The email will alert the consumer that there is an electronic letter in their secure Covered California Mailbox. This doesn’t mean Covered California will stop sending out reams of confusing letters to members, it just means that people can read them or delete them online. The switch to email correspondence should save Covered California a mountain of money in postage.
CalHEERS 16.1 software updates, March, 2016
16.2.5 Preferred Method of Communication – Email Notice Implementation
Consumers have the option to choose either postal mail or Email as their preferred method of communication.
For consumers with Email selected as their preferred method of communication:
- “Confirmation of Email Preference” notice is sent via standard mail to notify the consumer about their decision and that they will no longer receive paper mailings from CalHEERS
- For all subsequent new messages, consumers receive an email to alert them a notice is available for viewing in their Covered California Secure Mailbox
- Notice sent in English and Spanish with instructions in other languages to contact Covered California if assistance is needed
- Email notification is only applicable to CalHEERS notices
When an invalid Email address reply is received, the Preferred Method of Communication is automatically updated to “Mail”
- A paper notice is sent to the consumer to inform them that an electronic notification was returned due to an invalid Email address
- The paper notice includes steps the consumer should take to change their Preferred Method of Communication back to “Email”
Even Covered California consumers who had not indicated their preferred communication method was via email are receiving letters congratulating them on going paperless.
Congratulations on going paperless!
This letter confirms that you have chosen to get your Covered California notices electronically. We will no longer send you paper notices by U.S. mail. Instead, you will be able to view your notices online through your CoveredCA.com account.
How will I get my notices?
Because your health care information is private, Covered California will not send your notices directly to your email. Instead, we will send you an email alert after a new notice is available in your secure mailbox online. The email alert will be sent to the email address you gave us when you signed up for Covered California.
It is important to make sure we always have your most updated email address. If an email alert cannot be delivered to the email address you gave us, we will send you a notice asking you to update your email address.
To access your notices online, you will need to:
- Log in to your CoveredCA.com account.
- Once you have logged in, click on the “Secure Mailbox” link located on the top right corner of the webpage.
- You will be able to review your notices after you click on the link.
Please log in to your CoveredCA.com account and make sure we have your correct email address on file. To ensure that the email alerts are being received in your inbox, please add Covered California to your address book.
Please note: The email alert you receive is sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming email. Please do not reply to the email alert.
For individuals and families who had someone else create their enrollment, they will not be able to receive the email alerts until they create an account.
What if I don’t have a Covered California online account?
You need to create an online account to get your notices online.
The information on your application is in the CoveredCA.com system. An access code has been created for you so you can link your application to an online account. With an account, you can view your application, update your information online and open your secure mailbox to see your notices.
Covered California provides an access code within the paper letter for people to create and account and link it to their application. This access code of six characters is enter on the first page of the account creation when the program asks if you want to link the new account to an existing enrollment.
People enrolled in Medi-Cal will still receive paper letters in the mail.