CAL.Regulation
California adds email and text notice to 60-day warning of health plan provider-contract terminations
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2613 (Chapter 306, Statutes of 2026) on September 18, amending Health and Safety Code section 1373.65. From January 1, 2027, health plans must send the existing 60-day notice of a provider-group or hospital contract termination by email or text, as well as mail, to enrollees who opted in. If plan and provider later reach agreement, the plan must notify enrollees by mail and electronically within 10 business days of DMHC approval.
Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) →
Key points
- AB 2613 became Chapter 306, Statutes of 2026, approved September 18, 2026; a non-urgency statute effective January 1, 2027.California Legislative Information
- Electronic notice goes only to enrollees who opted in and supplied contact information; mail notice was already required.California Legislative Information
- If the contract is renewed before termination, plans must notify enrollees they remain assigned; later renewal triggers a return option.California Legislative Information
- Plans must submit post-agreement notices to the Department of Managed Health Care within 5 business days of reaching the agreement.California Legislative Information
- Renewal before the termination date requires notice that enrollees remain assigned; renewal after it requires an offer to return.California Legislative Information
- The Knox-Keene Act makes willful violations a crime, so the new duties carry criminal exposure.California Legislative Information
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RegulationCal.AB 2613 - Health care service plans: provider contract termination: notice (2026)HealthcareFor practitionersFor governance