Have a complaint?

About the grievance process

The California Department of Managed Health Care is responsible for regulating health care service plans. If you have a grievance against your health plan, you should first telephone your health plan at 1-800-359-2002 and use your health plan’s grievance process before contacting the department. Utilizing this grievance procedure does not prohibit any potential legal rights or remedies that may be available to you. If you need help with a grievance involving an emergency, a grievance that has not been satisfactorily resolved by your health plan, or a grievance that has remained unresolved for more than 30 days, you may call the department for assistance. You may also be eligible for an Independent Medical Review (IMR). If you are eligible for IMR, the IMR process will provide an impartial review of medical decisions made by a health plan related to the medical necessity of a proposed service or treatment, coverage decisions for treatments that are experimental or investigational in nature and payment disputes for emergency or urgent medical services. The department also has a toll-free telephone number (1-888-466-2219) and a TDD line
(1-877-688-9891) for the hearing and speech impaired. The department’s internet website www.dmhc.ca.gov has complaint forms, IMR application forms, and instructions online.

If you would like to submit a written grievance directly to the department regarding the cancellation, rescission or nonrenewal of health care coverage, you can complete the paper form below. The form can be submitted via fax at 1-916-255-5241, or mailed to:

Department of Managed Health Care
Help Center
980 9th Street, Suite 500
Sacramento, CA 95814

Download the form