Computer Error Leads to State Medi-Cal Card Mix-Up
Last month, the California Department of Health Care Services said that a computer programming error led it to inadvertently send more than 2,600 Medi-Cal benefit cards to the wrong recipients. The cards were meant for children in the Healthy Families program who were scheduled to transition to Medi-Cal on Jan. 1. Healthy Families is California's Children's Health Insurance Program and Medi-Cal is the state's Medicaid program. Officials noted that although the cards include personal data, there "is a low likelihood" that the incident would result in identity theft or fraud.
- "State Agency Mails 2,600 Medi-Cal Cards to Wrong Families" (Powers, "L.A. Now," Los Angeles Times, 12/22/12)
- "Medi-Cal Cards Sent to Wrong People" (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 12/26/12).