Important information for patients with Blue Shield of California insurance plans

The University of California’s Health system is in continuing negotiations for a new agreement to keep our health care facilities and professionals “in network” with Blue Shield of California health plans, to preserve access to care for millions of Californians.

If a new agreement is not reached, all of the University of California’s health care facilities and professionals will be out of network for Blue Shield of California members starting on July 1, 2025. This includes UC Davis Health. This change would affect Blue Shield of California members across plan types, including:

• California Public Employees’ Retirement System plans
• Plans offered by employers
• Plans from the Covered California marketplace
• Medicare Advantage plans administered by Blue Shield of California

If our locations and providers are excluded from Blue Shield of California’s network as of July 1, 2025, patients with Blue Shield of California health plans could face significantly higher out-of-pocket expenses – or even find that Blue Shield of California will no longer cover their health care costs from UC Davis Health at all.

What happens next?

Nothing is changing until June 30, 2025. You can still see your doctor and receive care at UC Davis Health until then, without any changes. You are important to us, and we look forward to remaining your health care provider.

We cannot guarantee you will have this same access to in-network care at UC Davis Health after July 1, 2025, because our contract with Blue Shield will expire without a new agreement. We are continuing to make it clear to Blue Shield that we hope to avoid disruptions in your health care and to protect you from higher out of network charges. After July 1, you may have to pay up to the full cost of your care received at UC Davis Health until Blue Shield signs a new contract agreement with us.

What are we doing?

We continue to do our part to negotiate with Blue Shield of California in hopes of reaching a new, fair agreement to preserve your access to UC care without interruptions or added costs. We have a list of other health insurance plans that cover care at UC Davis Health posted here.

What can you do?

If you have questions or concerns about this potential change, we encourage you to call Blue Shield of California’s member services phone number, which is found on your insurance card. We hope you will join us in asking Blue Shield of California to find a way to help us keep pace with the rising costs of fairly compensating our physicians, nurses and health care teams and maintaining our facilities. 

If you are a Blue Shield of California HMO member and have been receiving care from a UC health care provider, you may have a right to keep your provider for a designated time period. Please contact Blue Shield of California’s member service department. If you have further questions, you are encouraged to contact the Department of Managed Health Care, which protects consumers, by telephone at its toll-free number, 1-888-466-2219, or at a TDD number for the hearing and speech impaired at 1-877-688-9891, or online at www.dmhc.ca.gov. 

If you think you might qualify for Continuity of Care from Blue Shield, you can apply for that with Blue Shield here.  Our care teams are ready to help you complete Blue Shield of California’s form if you decide to ask Blue Shield of California to allow you to continue your care with us. It is Blue Shield’s decision whether or not you will be allowed to do so.

Questions?

We have a set of common questions and answers posted here to help you get the information you need. If you have a question that's not answered, please reach out to our Patient Contact Center at 1-800-2-UC DAVIS. As a valued patient, we want to help you understand what is happening.