Coverage Retention Collaborative

Why this matters to all of us

Health coverage is not just a personal issue. It is a community one.

When a family in East San Jose loses Medi-Cal, they do not stop getting sick. They stop getting care early. A manageable condition becomes an emergency room visit. A missed prenatal appointment becomes a complicated birth. A child's untreated asthma becomes a missed week of school.

Those costs do not stay in one neighborhood. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, our County health system, serves more than one in four area residents and runs the region's busiest emergency and trauma care. When more people arrive uninsured, wait times rise for everyone, from Palo Alto to Gilroy. Clinics cut hours. Hospitals cut services. Insurance premiums climb for people who never set foot in a County clinic.

The reverse is also true. Every 10,000 neighbors who keep their Medi-Cal coverage keep an estimated $36 million to $48 million a year flowing into local hospitals, clinics, and community organizations. That is money that stays in our county and keeps care available for all of us.

Three things worth knowing:

• Santa Clara County has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation, 4.4 percent compared to 11.5 percent nationally. That did not happen by accident, and it is now at risk.
• Coverage touches everything. Mental health care, treatment for substance use, care for immigrant families, care for LGBTQ+ neighbors, and care for seniors all depend on people being able to stay enrolled.
• More than 40 percent of county residents are immigrants, and new rules fall hardest on immigrant families and the clinics that serve them.

What We Are Doing About It

For most of our history, Valley Health Foundation has turned generosity into impact for our County health system. Today, the biggest threat to that system is not a missing piece of equipment. It is a change in federal law that could push tens of thousands of our neighbors off their coverage starting in 2027.

So we did what we know how to do. We brought people together.

Since April 2026, Valley Health Foundation has convened the Coverage Retention Collaborative: County social services, our public health system, the local Medi-Cal health plan, community clinics, and trusted community organizations working from one shared strategy instead of a dozen separate ones. Our role is to convene, advocate, and bridge to the funders who can help it scale.

The plan has three parts:

1. Protect people who should not lose coverage. Many residents will qualify for exemptions from new work requirements, including caregivers, students, and people with disabilities. We are building a shared way for clinics, the health plan, and County social services to identify them and document their exemptions before they fall through the cracks.
2. Put a trusted person beside every family that needs help. Renewals are confusing, and the rules keep changing. We are expanding one-to-one help from community health workers, clinic enrollment staff, and community organizations, in the languages people speak and the places they already go.
3. Make sure everyone knows what is changing. A coordinated community campaign, in step with the County's We Got You Covered effort, so residents hear one clear message about what they need to do to stay covered.

Why Valley Health Foundation: We are the County of Santa Clara's trusted philanthropic partner, and we have done this before. In 2025, our community passed Measure A to protect local hospitals. In 2020, we raised more than $30 million for the County's COVID-19 response. As an independent nonprofit, we can bring government, health care, philanthropy, and community organizations into one room and keep them there.

Our goal is simple to say and hard to do. Fewer people in Santa Clara County lose coverage than anyone projected.

This is a movement, not a meeting. Join us.

Who Is At The Table

This only works because we are doing it together.

The Coverage Retention Collaborative brings together the organizations that touch a Medi-Cal member's life at every step: the agency that processes their renewal, the health plan that covers them, the clinic that treats them, and the community organization they already trust.

Core partners

• [COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES PARTNER]: enrollment and renewal
• [PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM PARTNER]: care at the point of service
• [MEDI-CAL HEALTH PLAN PARTNER]: data on renewals and members at risk
• [COMMUNITY CLINIC NETWORK PARTNER] and member clinics: trusted relationships with patients
• [PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT PARTNER]: community health worker collaborative
• [COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTNER]: outreach and trusted messengers
• Valley Health Foundation: convener, advocate, and funding partner

Community partners

[PARTNER NAMES]: behavioral health, immigrant-serving, culturally specific, and neighborhood organizations across the county. Add as confirmed.

Funders and allies

The Coverage Retention Collaborative is made possible by [FUNDER 1], [FUNDER 2], [FUNDER 3], and the generosity of Valley Health Foundation donors. Valley Health Foundation also participates in a statewide cohort of regional leaders doing similar work across California, supported by [STATEWIDE FUNDER].

Does your organization serve people on Medi-Cal? Join the coalition.

On Medi-Cal? Here is how to keep your coverage.

Medi-Cal is changing. You can stay covered. Here is how.

New rules are coming in 2027. Most people who have Medi-Cal today can keep it, but you may need to take a few extra steps. Do not wait for a letter.

Three things to do now:

1. Make sure the County can reach you. Update your address, phone number, and email at [BenefitsCal link] or by calling [County phone number]. Most people lose coverage because they never got the renewal notice.
2. Watch for your renewal and respond right away. Starting in 2027, some people will need to renew every six months instead of once a year. If you get a packet, fill it out and return it, even if nothing has changed.
3. Ask about work requirements before you worry. Many people are exempt, including parents and caregivers, students, people with a disability, and people who are already working. If you need to show work or volunteer hours, free help is available.

Need help in person or by phone? Trusted community helpers can walk you through every step, for free, in your language. [Find help near you] (links to We Got You Covered or County enrollment help)

If you already lost coverage: You may be able to get it back without starting over if you act within 90 days. [Get help now]

Keeping your coverage keeps you connected to your doctor, your medicine, and preventive care that catches problems early. It is worth the paperwork.

Join The Movement

Protecting coverage takes all of us. Here is your part.

Power the work

Your gift funds the coordination, the community health workers, and the outreach that keep our neighbors covered. Every 10,000 people who stay enrolled keep up to $48 million a year in care flowing through our county.

Stay informed and take action

Get action alerts when a decision in Sacramento or Washington affects care in Santa Clara County, plus invitations to community briefings and webinars. One or two emails a month, no more. Sign Up for Alerts

Bring your organization in

Clinics, community organizations, employers, schools, faith communities, and unions all reach people who are at risk of losing coverage. We will help your team and plug you into the plan. [Partner with Us]

Just as we proved with Measure A, we can make a difference by working together. A healthier future for all starts with keeping our neighbors covered.