Blue Shield

Important information for patients with Blue Shield of California health insurance plans

(Updated June 20, 2025)

Blue Shield of California has filed a notice to terminate its agreement with University of California Health, jeopardizing in-network access to care for thousands of UCLA Health and other UC patients, unless a new agreement is reached before July 10, 2025. 

(NOTE: Some patients may have received Blue Shield of California correspondence inaccurately stating the contract will terminate on July 1, 2025. Please note, the current contract is set to expire at 11:59 pm on July 9, 2025.)

This will impact both HMO and PPO patients insured by Blue Shield of California.

Despite good-faith efforts to reach a new agreement, Blue Shield of California has initiated a process to move its HMO members away from UCLA Health to non-UC primary care physicians selected by Blue Shield of California, effective July 10, the day after the current contract expires. This decision was Blue Shield of California’s alone. These HMO patients may receive a transfer notice from Blue Shield of California.

If a new agreement is not in place before July 10, Blue Shield of California will no longer consider UCLA Health to be in its network for the following patients:

  • Patients who selected a Blue Shield of California plan through their employer
  • Patients who purchased a Blue Shield of California plan on the Covered California marketplace
  • Patients with a Medicare plan administered by Blue Shield of California
  • Patients with a California Public Employees’ Retirement System plan administered by Blue Shield of California

What Does This Mean?

If UCLA Health is excluded from Blue Shield of California’s network beginning on July 10, 2025, patients with a Blue Shield of California plan could face significantly higher out-of-pocket expenses – or even find that Blue Shield of California will no longer cover their health care costs through UCLA Health at all. You can still see your UCLA Health doctor and receive treatments at UCLA Health before July 10, 2025, without any changes. 

What We Are Doing

Despite Blue Shield of California’s decision, we will continue efforts to negotiate with Blue Shield of California (together with the University of California and other UC academic health systems) in hopes of avoiding a disruption in your health care and potentially higher expenses. You are important to us, and we want to continue serving you with exceptional care.

What You Can Do

We encourage all patients with a Blue Shield of California plan to call the member/customer service phone number on the back of your health plan identification card and urge Blue Shield of California to reach a fair agreement to preserve in-network access to UCLA Health and its physicians, hospitals and clinics.

Can I continue my current treatment plan with UCLA Health?

If you have been receiving care from UCLA Health, you may have a right to keep your UCLA Health physician for a designated time period. Please contact Blue Shield of California’s member services 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 those who are hearing- or speech-impaired, at 1-877-688-9891, or online at www.dmhc.ca.gov.

The health plan is responsible for decisions about Continuity of Care.

If you are a patient with a Blue Shield of California HMO plan and have been notified by the health plan that your care will be transitioned away from UCLA Health, a Continuity of Care application form is available here on Blue Shield of California’s website. To request continued in-network access to your current UCLA Health care team, this form must be completed and returned to Blue Shield of California. (See Continuity of Care applications and brochures in other languages.)

If you are a patient with Blue Shield of California PPO coverage, you also may be eligible for Continuity of Care services, as determined by Blue Shield of California, even if you have not received a transfer notice from the company. 

Continuity of Care steps are especially important for patients who have a medical appointment scheduled with UCLA Health on or after July 10 that cannot be rescheduled to an earlier date.

What are Continuity of Care services?

State law provides patients the opportunity to continue care related to certain medical conditions if your current physician is no longer in your health plan. Examples of patients who may be eligible for Continuity of Care services include patients who are pregnant, newborn children between birth and 36 months, patients who are awaiting a transplant or have received a transplant, patients who have an upcoming scheduled surgery or procedure, and patients who have certain acute conditions, serious chronic medical conditions, or terminal illnesses. More details are on the California Department of Managed Health Care website.

How do I apply for Continuity of Care services?

Call the member/customer service phone number on the back of your health plan identification card to discuss your options. Blue Shield of California’s Continuity of Care application form is available here. 

This form must be completed and returned to Blue Shield of California, if you decide to request continued in-network access to your current UCLA Health care team.

Please note that submitting the form is not considered approval. You will need to follow up with Blue Shield of California on the status of your request.

(UCLA Health representatives are ready to work with you to address questions that may arise when completing your Continuity of Care application. Call 310-301-8700, Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5 pm, and choose option 1. You can also reach out to your UCLA Health physician’s office.)

Additional information about Continuity of Care services is in the FAQs below.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Blue Shield of California Patients

(If you have a question that's not answered below, please contact us at 310-301-8700, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm, and choose option 1.)

Blue Shield of California has filed a notice to terminate its contract with UCLA Health, unless there is a new agreement reached before the current expiration date of July 10, 2025. Blue Shield of California also has initiated a process to move its HMO members away from UCLA Health to physicians selected by Blue Shield without asking its HMO members. The decision to transfer patients is Blue Shield of California’s and was made even as negotiations on a new agreement are continuing between UCLA Health and Blue Shield of California.

Care you receive at UCLA Health before July 10, 2025, will still be considered in-network by Blue Shield of California.

We want to help you avoid disruptions in care or unanticipated expenses. It is important for you to contact Blue Shield of California to determine your eligibility for Continuity of Care Services before coming to your appointment at UCLA Health.

If it is not possible to reschedule your appointment to a date before July 10, or if you choose to keep the appointment, you may face higher out-of-pocket costs under your Blue Shield of California plan at UCLA Health, if a new agreement is not reached before July 10.

You will be covered by Blue Shield of California until you are discharged from the hospital. However, Blue Shield of California may elect to transfer you to another hospital that they consider in-network. Blue Shield of California may only transfer a patient if the transfer can be safely performed. Before your procedure, we encourage you to apply for Continuity of Care services as described above and confirm the details of your insurance benefit by calling the member/customer service phone number on the back of your health plan identification card.

For patients who Blue Shield of California determines qualify for Continuity of Care services, UCLA Health will honor in-network rates for the pre-determined period of time, even if Blue Shield of California considers UCLA Health out-of-network. Those patients should not have any increased out-of-pocket costs for Continuity of Care services provided by UCLA Health.

For patients who Blue Shield of California determines do not qualify for Continuity of Care services, out-of-pocket expenses may increase because care provided by UCLA Health will be out-of-network or may not be covered at all. For more information, contact us at 310-301-8700, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm, and choose option 1.

You should call the member/customer service phone number on the back of your health plan identification card and work with Blue Shield of California to understand your options. The health plan is responsible for decisions about Continuity of Care. If you are an HMO member, you may also call the California Department of Managed Health Care’s Help Center at 1-888-466-2219. If you are a PPO member, you may call the California Department of Insurance consumer hotline at 1-800-927-4357.

For HMO members, if we secure a new agreement prior to July 10 and you already have been assigned to a new primary care physician outside of UCLA Health, Blue Shield of California will notify you, and you can then request to be reassigned back to a UCLA Health physician. Blue Shield of California will not reassign you back to UCLA Health unless you request it. UCLA Health is not permitted to make the request for you.

  • Patients who selected a Blue Shield of California plan through their employer
  • Patients who purchased a Blue Shield of California plan through the Covered California marketplace
  • Patients with a Medicare plan administered by Blue Shield of California
  • Patients with a California Public Employees’ Retirement System plan administered by Blue Shield of California

All UCLA Health and other University of California hospitals, clinics, physicians and health care professionals rely on their agreement with Blue Shield of California to remain in- network for you.

Contracts with insurance companies such as Blue Shield of California ensure that UCLA Health receives fair payment for care provided to patients with Blue Shield of California insurance. We bring internationally renowned academic medicine to patients in the communities we serve, delivering the absolute best of what is possible in health care. As one of the region’s most vital health care resources, UCLA Health needs a fair agreement with Blue Shield of California to maintain the standard of care that our patients rely on for their health.

Contact Us

We value our patients and want to help you understand what is happening.

UCLA Health representatives are standing by at 310-301-8700, Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5 pm, choose option 1. You can also contact your UCLA Health physician’s office.