The Overview

If a missed form or paperwork snag could cost you your health coverage, a new California law is designed to keep that from happening. According to Assemblymember Dawn Addis' website, California's Seamless Care Act, AB 1907 helps prevent gaps in health coverage. The law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Sept. 15. ​

When California restarted Medi-Cal eligibility checks in 2023, more than 928,000 people lost coverage between June and October, and close to 90 percent of those terminations were for procedural reasons rather than a finding of actual ineligibility, according to CalMatters. Some of the law's new enrollment rules begin July 1, 2027.

What the Law Does

Starting July 1, 2027, when someone submits a complete application for an insurance affordability program through the state's Statewide Automated Welfare System, Covered California must enroll them in a health plan, either before their current coverage ends or upon receipt of the application. The Exchange may place the person in the lowest-cost silver plan, a plan other household members are already enrolled in, or the lowest-cost plan available to an eligible American Indian.

The law also rewrites the notice Covered California must send: instead of warning that coverage only starts if the premium is paid, the notice must explain how to activate the selected plan, including how to pay or, if no premium is owed, how to opt in. Health plans must also align their annual open-enrollment periods and coverage start dates with federal law when the two conflict.

Legislative Status

Asm. Dawn Addis (D) is the lead author of the bill, with Cervantes, Bonta and Durazo as co-authors.

Across five recorded votes, the bill drew 123 yes votes and zero no votes: 16-0 on March 17 and 15-0 on May 14 in the lower chamber, 74-0 on May 21 in the Assembly, 11-0 on June 17 in the Senate, and 7-0 on June 29 in the Senate. The Senate passed it 39-0 on Aug. 27, and the Assembly concurred in the Senate's amendments 78-0 on Aug. 28.

Addis's office says the law "helps prevent gaps in health coverage" by automatically moving people into a Covered California plan when they are found ineligible for Medi-Cal, according to her 2026 Legislative Update.

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