Medicaid plans › California
California Medicaid Managed-Care Plans for Providers
Enrollments are billed 50% at the start and 50% at submission; everything else 100% at the start.
Medi-Cal is run by the California Department of Health Care Services. 14,305,060 people were enrolled in its 23 managed-care plans in 2024. To see their patients, a provider enrolls with Medi-Cal through PAVE, the Medi-Cal Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment portal, then applies to each plan separately.
| Plan | Members (2024) | Share | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Care Health Plan | 2,359,500 | 16.5% | In-state |
| Health Net Community Solutions | 1,582,968 | 11.1% | Centene |
| Inland Empire Health Plan | 1,492,702 | 10.4% | In-state |
| Kaiser Permanente | 1,415,236 | 9.9% | Kaiser Permanente |
| Anthem Blue Cross Partnership Plan | 925,408 | 6.5% | Elevance Health |
| Partnership HealthPlan of California | 900,076 | 6.3% | In-state |
| CalOptima | 892,359 | 6.2% | In-state |
| Molina Healthcare of California Partner Plan | 629,529 | 4.4% | Molina Healthcare |
| CalViva Health | 437,823 | 3.1% | In-state |
| Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan | 420,588 | 2.9% | In-state |
| Community Health Group | 405,072 | 2.8% | In-state |
| Kern Family Health Care | 402,077 | 2.8% | In-state |
| Alameda Alliance for Health | 400,062 | 2.8% | In-state |
| Central California Alliance for Health | 369,223 | 2.6% | In-state |
| Santa Clara Family Health Plan | 292,148 | 2% | In-state |
| Contra Costa Health Plan | 258,365 | 1.8% | In-state |
| Gold Coast Health Plan | 247,849 | 1.7% | In-state |
| CenCal Health | 239,520 | 1.7% | In-state |
| Blue Shield of California Promise | 196,938 | 1.4% | In-state |
| San Francisco Health Plan | 176,670 | 1.2% | In-state |
| Health Plan of San Mateo | 145,223 | 1% | In-state |
| Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley | 96,485 | 0.7% | In-state |
| SCAN Health Plan | 19,239 | 0.1% | In-state |
How Joining Works in California
First the state: Medi-Cal enrollment through PAVE, the Medi-Cal Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment portal, which gives you the Medicaid ID every plan asks for. Then the plans: each takes its own participation request and credentials you from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile. 4 parent companies run plans here, and plans owned by the same company still contract state by state.
How to Join Each California Plan
Health Net Community Solutions (Centene): Centene runs this plan alongside its Ambetter and Wellcare products. Each Centene plan takes its own contract request on the plan's provider website, credentials from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile, and will not load a provider without the state Medicaid ID.
Kaiser Permanente (Kaiser Permanente): Kaiser Permanente mostly delivers care through its own medical groups, so outside providers are added when Kaiser has a network need for the specialty and area.
Anthem Blue Cross Partnership Plan (Elevance Health): Elevance Health plans take participation requests through the plan's provider site for that state, most of them now inside Availity Essentials, and credential from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile. Each state is its own contract.
Molina Healthcare of California Partner Plan (Molina Healthcare): Molina credentials each state separately. The contract request goes through the state's Molina provider site and requires an active state Medicaid enrollment; credentialing uses your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile.
L.A. Care Health Plan, Inland Empire Health Plan, Partnership HealthPlan of California, CalOptima, CalViva Health, Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan, Community Health Group, Kern Family Health Care, Alameda Alliance for Health, Central California Alliance for Health, Santa Clara Family Health Plan, Contra Costa Health Plan, Gold Coast Health Plan, CenCal Health, Blue Shield of California Promise, San Francisco Health Plan, Health Plan of San Mateo, Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley, SCAN Health Plan: This plan is run in-state rather than by a national carrier, so participation requests go to the plan's own provider relations or contracting team, listed on its provider website.
Also in California: Medicare, Medi-Cal and commercial credentialing.
Questions
Which California Medicaid plan is the largest?
L.A. Care Health Plan, with 2,359,500 members in 2024, 16.5% of the 14,305,060 people enrolled in California's Medicaid managed-care plans.
Do I have to join every California Medicaid plan?
No. Each plan is a separate contract. Practices usually start with the two or three largest plans in their county, then add others as patients ask for them. All of them require Medi-Cal enrollment first.
Membership from KFF, Medicaid MCO Enrollment by Plan and Parent Firm, 2024. Plans change when the state rebids its contracts; we confirm the current list on every file.