Covered California Secures Healthcare Access for 1.7M Citizens

Objective

The CalHEERS project aimed to reduce the number of uninsured Californians by creating a stable, resilient platform for the state's Affordable Care Act marketplace. They sought to simplify the complex process of account creation, eligibility rules, and plan selection for millions of diverse users.

Challenge

Healthcare exchanges are notoriously complex, involving multiple participants—citizens, providers, and 13 program partners—all requiring different access levels. CalHEERS needed to replace legacy hurdles with a modern system capable of handling massive scale while protecting sensitive user data from unauthorized access.

Solution

CalHEERS implemented a comprehensive identity platform from Ping Identity (formerly ForgeRock). This approach focused on leveraging identity data as a business enabler, allowing for better user interactions and modern security capabilities that ensure a positive, frictionless experience for consumers across the exchange.

Results

The transformation led to Covered California providing healthcare insurance to a record 1.7 million residents. Most significantly, California’s uninsured rate dropped from 17.2% in 2013 to just 7% in 2021—the largest percentage drop of any state in the U.S.