Eligibility Changes Drive California Health Insurance Marketplace Churn Rate

An exploration into the reasons for the churn rate in California’s individual health insurance market, Covered California, identified that the churn occurred primarily because enrollees had eligibility changes for other sources of coverage and there was no indication that the turnover pattern was related to enrollees taking up coverage only when they needed to access health care services. Churn is defined as enrollment turnover.  A survey of 6,474 members who terminated their individual market coverage in 2018, 2019, or 2021 found that 46% of disenrolled individuals enrolled in an employer-sponsored group plan, 24% enrolled in Medicaid, and . . .