Sued over sluggishness

The state has been sued by a coalition of advocacy groups over an extensive backlog of Medi-Cal applications.

The California Department of Health Care Services is scrambling to process about 350,000 applications, as more than 2 million California residents applied for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medi-Cal, according to California Healthline. Earlier this year, that backlog was around 900,000 applications.

Several groups including Bay Area Legal Aid, Central California Legal Services and the Western Center on Law and Poverty filed suit, demanding that DHCS determine Medi-Cal eligibility within 45 days of submission; notify applicants who are affected by the backlog; and provide benefits to eligible residents as their applications are being processed.

Katie Murphy with Neighborhood Legal Services said the coalition hopes that Alameda County Superior Court will address the suit prior to Nov. 15, when Covered California’s second enrollment period is set to open.