As State sets higher Medi-Cal contract standards, some providers predict major disruptions

More than 1.7 million Medi-Cal patients may get a new insurance provider in the coming months as a result of the state’s first-ever competitive bidding process, but critics and some providers fear the change will cause major disruptions to care. California’s Department of Health Care Services last month announced its intent to award $14 billion-worth of Medi-Cal contracts to three companies —Health Net, Molina and Anthem Blue Cross —down from nine.