​​​​​​​​​ Health Insurance Premium Payment Program/Cost Avoidance​

The Health Insurance Premium Payment (HIPP) program is a voluntary program for qualified members with full scope Medi-Cal coverage. HIPP approved Medi-Cal eligible members shall receive services that are unavailable from third party coverage and offered by Medi-Cal.  Members with restricted Medi-Cal coverage are not eligible for the HIPP program.

Requirements for HIPP:

Any existing, medically confirmed, medical condition determined by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to be a cost-effective condition is deemed to meet the cost-effectiveness criteria for the HIPP program.  If this does not apply, then the following requirements will be used to determine cost-effectiveness:

1. Enrollment in an individual or group health insurance plan shall be considered cost-effective when the cost of paying premiums, coinsurance, deductibles, other cost-sharing obligations, and administrative costs, are projected to be less than the amount paid for an equivalent set of Medi-Cal services.
• The confirmed medical condition must be covered under the individual or group health insurance plan upon date of application.
2. When determining cost-effectiveness of individual or group health insurance plans, DHCS shall consider the following information:
• The cost of the insurance premium, coinsurance, deductible;
• The average yearly anticipated Medi-Cal utilization for the confirmed medical condition;
• The specific health-related circumstances of the persons covered under the insurance plan; and
• Annual administrative expenditures.
3. In any month that a HIPP enrollee has not met his/her monthly spend-down obligation, the enrollee will not be reimbursed.
4. In order to meet the cost-effectiveness criteria, HIPP enrollees are required to be in fee-for-service (FFS) Medi-Cal.

 You are NOT eligible for HIPP if you are eligible for or enrolled in the following:

• Medicare
• TRI-CARE (formerly known as CHAMPUS)
• Medi-Cal Managed Care
  

If you are transitioning from the HIPP program into a Medi-Cal Managed Care program and are in need of assistance, please contact the HIPP program using one of the methods below:

The HIPP staff will assist with putting you in contact with your selected Managed Care program staff.

Additional information about Medi-Cal Managed Care can be found using the link below:

Medi-Cal Managed Care​​