The Most Affordable
Healthcare Insurance

My name is Tom Feeney. I have been helping California residents navigate Medicare, Covered California, and individual health insurance from my office in Costa Mesa for years, and I want to tell you directly what working with me actually looks like.

I am an independent licensed agent. That means I am not contracted to any single carrier. I compare plans across every major California insurer because my only obligation is to the person sitting across from me, or on the other end of the phone, not to the company whose plan I might recommend. I hold California Insurance Licenses #0G18420 and #0K50571. My agency is a fully compliant Covered California Enrollment Center.

I specialize in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Covered California, individual and family health plans, dental, vision, life insurance, and small business group coverage. My team is available Monday through Thursday. I am reachable by direct line. We serve clients in English and Spanish.

My office is at 1500 Adams Ave, Suite 201 in Costa Mesa. If you prefer to meet in person, the door is open. Phone or video works equally well. The consultation is free, there is no obligation, and no pressure to choose anything. My goal is to make sure you have complete information before making a decision that covers your health for the next twelve months.

Call me directly at (949) 396-1202 or the office at (800) 590-7279. Online: medicalinsurancetoday.com.

People are often surprised to learn that calling me costs them nothing.

Health insurance agents in California are paid directly by the carriers whose plans clients enroll in. The commission structure is built into the carrier’s pricing model. Your premium is identical whether you enroll through a licensed agent or on your own through the Covered California website or Medicare.gov. There is no markup, no service fee, and nothing added to your bill for working with me.

What you receive in exchange for that zero cost is substantial. A comparison of every plan available in your county. A review of your specific doctors, prescriptions, and out-of-pocket needs before any plan is recommended. Help understanding whether you qualify for subsidies and what documentation you need to claim them. Guidance through the enrollment process. And someone to call if something goes wrong with your coverage during the year, because my relationship with clients does not end when the enrollment period closes.

I ask only one thing in return: that you make your decision based on complete information. My job is to make sure you have it.

Call (800) 590-7279 or visit medicalinsurancetoday.com. Free consultation. Thorough comparison. No obligation.

The financial data behind Molina’s exit is some of the most striking I have seen in my career in this industry.

Molina’s ACA medical loss ratio hit 88.9 percent in the second quarter of 2026. A financially stable MLR for an insurer typically sits in the low 80s. At 88.9 percent, before the company has counted a single dollar of administrative or operational cost, the ACA business is generating a deficit, not a profit. Add overhead and the math becomes untenable.

In California specifically, Molina has confirmed it is exiting Region 18 (Orange County) and Region 15 (Los Angeles Northeast) from the Covered California marketplace for 2027. Approximately 1,600 California consumers are directly affected and must select replacement coverage during Open Enrollment. Molina is also exiting all non-dual-eligible Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, affecting approximately 117,000 Medicare Advantage members nationally.

If you are enrolled in a Molina plan in either affected California region, the exit is confirmed and the timeline is firm. Your coverage ends December 31, 2026. Replacement plans are available. The question is which one fits your life, and that is exactly the conversation I am prepared to have with you at no cost.

Molina OC and LA Northeast members, call me directly: (949) 396-1202 or (800) 590-7279.

I want to be precise about this because the coverage of this story has not been.

Health Net, a Centene subsidiary, announced on September 1, 2026 that it is exiting California’s commercial small and large group health insurance market. All small group and large group policies including HMO, PPO, and POS products will end February 28, 2027. Health Net has stopped accepting new group business entirely.

This affects employers who offer Health Net as their company health plan and the employees enrolled in that coverage. It does not affect individual Covered California members, Medi-Cal enrollees, or Medicare members through Health Net. That distinction is important and has been misreported in some outlets.

If you receive health insurance through your employer and your company uses Health Net, your coverage has a firm end date. Your employer should already be receiving transition communications. If they are not actively working on replacement coverage, that conversation needs to happen now. The February 28 deadline sounds distant in employer benefits terms. It is not. If you are a business owner in this situation, I can help evaluate replacement group options for your team.

Business owners with Health Net group coverage should call (800) 590-7279 immediately. Every week narrows the options.

A non-renewal notice is not a disaster. But it is a deadline.

If your insurer announces it is leaving your market or your region, your coverage does not stop immediately. It continues through the end of your current plan year. You have time. What you do not have is unlimited time, and that distinction matters considerably.

If the exit is announced mid-year, it typically triggers a Special Enrollment Period, giving you 60 days from the notice to find new coverage outside of Open Enrollment. If it is announced for the end of the year, Open Enrollment is your vehicle. Either way, the consumers who act early get the most options. The consumers who wait until the final two weeks of enrollment often find that the plans best suited to their doctors and prescriptions are harder to access and that available agent time is limited.

When a client calls me after receiving a non-renewal notice, we review every available plan in their county, check doctors and specialists against each network, verify prescriptions, look at subsidy eligibility, and make a decision together based on complete information. That process costs nothing and takes about thirty minutes.

Received a non-renewal notice? Call me the day it arrives. (949) 396-1202.

When a Fortune 500 company loses half a billion dollars in six months, something structural is broken.

Molina Healthcare earned $627 million in profit in the first half of 2025. In the first half of 2026, that number had fallen to $74 million. A $553 million decline in a single half-year. Their ACA medical loss ratio hit 88.9 percent in Q2 2026, meaning they were paying nearly 89 cents of every ACA premium dollar in medical claims before touching a dollar of overhead. Their stock fell more than 20 percent in a single trading session. Their response was to cut their national marketplace presence from 14 states to six.

Cigna is exiting the ACA market in every state it currently operates. More than 12 carriers total have announced marketplace exits for 2027. The number of counties with only one insurer has risen from 93 to 165 in a single year.

Here is what I keep returning to: these are not companies at the margins. Molina had $21.7 billion in first-half 2026 revenue. If entities of that size cannot make commercial health insurance financially sustainable, the problem is structural. What that means for California consumers is that the landscape will keep shifting. Reviewing your coverage annually is no longer optional.

Not sure what the exits mean for your specific plan? Call (800) 590-7279 and I will tell you directly.

Open Enrollment is not the only time you can get covered in California.

A Special Enrollment Period gives you a 60-day window to enroll outside of the standard November 1 through January 31 Open Enrollment period, triggered by a qualifying life event. If one of these events has happened to you recently, you may be able to get covered right now regardless of where we are in the calendar.

The most common qualifying events I see in my practice: losing employer-sponsored health coverage, getting married or divorced, having or adopting a child, moving to a new California county, turning 26 and aging off a parent’s plan, and receiving a non-renewal notice when your insurer exits your area.

The 60-day window runs from the date of the qualifying event, not from the date you call me. If you had a qualifying event three weeks ago and are just now reading this, you have approximately 39 days left to act. Missing the window means waiting for the next Open Enrollment, which could mean months of full out-of-pocket exposure if something goes wrong medically.

If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, call me. I can tell you within a few minutes whether you have a window and how much time remains.

Do not assume you have to wait for November. Call (800) 590-7279 today.

Auto-renewal feels like the safe choice. It rarely is.

Here is what auto-renewal actually does: it continues your current plan without checking whether that plan still serves you. It does not verify whether your doctors are still in network. It does not compare your premium against what else is available. It does not confirm whether you now qualify for more subsidy assistance. Under H.R.1, it does not check whether your eligibility documentation is current. And if your insurer has exited your area, it may place you in an assigned replacement plan with no input from you.

I have had clients call me in February confused about why their January bill was higher than expected. In almost every case, the answer traces back to a September auto-renewal made without a review.

The alternative is one phone call before Open Enrollment closes. I check your network coverage, run a current subsidy calculation, compare your existing plan against what is available in your county for 2027, and flag anything that has changed. That call is free. It takes about thirty minutes. And it means you start January knowing exactly what to expect.

Call before you renew anything. (800) 590-7279. Thirty minutes now protects you for all of 2027.

H.R.1 is the reason I am telling every Covered California client not to auto-renew this year.

The legislation passed in 2025 and tightened income verification requirements for premium tax credits and subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Under previous rules, many consumers could renew year over year with limited paperwork. Under H.R.1, those requirements are stricter. If the income information on file does not match current documentation standards, subsidies can be reduced, terminated, or require repayment.

In plain terms: auto-renewing your Covered California plan this year without reviewing your eligibility documentation could result in paying more than expected, losing assistance you are entitled to, or receiving a repayment demand later in the year for credits already applied.

None of that happens to my clients who do a pre-enrollment review with me, because we go through the documentation requirements before Open Enrollment opens and make sure everything is in order before a plan is selected. The process is a conversation, a checklist, and a comparison. It takes less than an hour. It is free. And it protects you from a genuinely unpleasant mid-year surprise.

Call (800) 590-7279 before October so we review your documentation before Open Enrollment opens November 1.

More Californians qualify for subsidy help in 2027 than at any point in the past five years. You may be one of them even if you were not before.

California expanded its state subsidy program for 2027 to cover households earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level: approximately $31,920 for a single individual and $66,000 for a family of four. If your income falls within those ranges and you previously did not receive state assistance, you may now qualify for meaningful help with your monthly premium.

Federal subsidies through Covered California also continue at income levels above that threshold. The combined effect is that subsidy assistance is now more broadly available in California than ever.

The complication is H.R.1, the federal legislation that made eligibility verification significantly stricter for 2027. Consumers must now provide updated income documentation to confirm eligibility. If that documentation is incomplete when you renew, your subsidy can be reduced or eliminated even if your income has not changed. This is why I review every client’s subsidy eligibility before Open Enrollment, not after. Knowing what you qualify for changes which plan makes the most financial sense.

A subsidy check takes fifteen minutes. Call (800) 590-7279 and find out what you qualify for before November 1.

If you are in Orange County or the Los Angeles Northeast, your Molina Covered California plan has a firm end date: December 31, 2026.

Molina Healthcare has confirmed it is exiting Region 18 (Orange County) and Region 15 (Los Angeles Northeast) from the Covered California marketplace for 2027. Approximately 1,600 California consumers are directly affected. A notice will arrive. When it does, read it in full.

During Open Enrollment, which runs November 1 through January 31, 2027, you must actively select a replacement plan. If you do not, you will be placed in an assigned plan. That assigned plan was not chosen with your doctors in mind, your prescriptions in mind, or your budget in mind.

Replacement plans are available in both affected regions. When you call me, I pull every available plan in your county, check your doctors and specialists against each plan’s network, verify your prescriptions on each formulary, and show you a full cost comparison. I do not suggest a plan until that work is done. And I do not charge for any of it.

Molina OC and LA Northeast members, call this week: (949) 396-1202 or (800) 590-7279.

Your eligibility Covered California with financial help is based on your household size and income, using the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Your immigration status and eligibility for other programs or services can also affect if you qualify. You will find out which program(s) you qualify for after you apply.  Note: You can get a health plan from Covered California without financial help. You will pay the entire cost of the health plan, but your household size and income will not affect your eligibility. However, we will still confirm your identity, including your immigration and incarceration statuses.

Your household size = you + spouse + tax dependents. Include everyone, even if they don’t need health coverage.

Your household income = the adjusted gross income of you + spouse + tax dependents. Based on the year you want coverage.

You can continue seeing your current doctor if they are part of your new plan’s network.  To confirm your doctors acceptance of the plan, please contact your doctor directly to ask their office, or check the insurance company website, under provider directory.  Generally it’s best to ask your doctor what plan or company they want you on.

Covered California and Medi-Cal are programs that help people get healthcare. Both include essential health benefits like doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, and preventive care.Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace where individuals and families can get a health plan through well-known companies. Financial help may be available to help with health care costs.Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, offering low-cost or free health coverage to those earning up to a certain amount.

(CCA abbreviation going forward) is the state’s health insurance marketplace where individuals and families can get a health plan through well-known companies. Financial help may be available to help with health care cost.  Covered California is a free service that connects Californians with brand-name health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It’s the only place where you can get financial help when you buy health insurance from well-known companies. That means when you apply, you may qualify for a discount on a health plan through Covered California, or get health insurance through the state’s Medi-Cal program. Either way, you’ll have great health coverage.  CoveredCA.com is sponsored by Covered California and the Department of Health Care Services.

Anthem, Blueshield, Healthnet, Kaiser, Molina, IEHP, LA Care, Balance/CCHP, Share San Diego, VHP, Western Health, Aetna CVS

Your eligibility Covered California with financial help is based on your household size and income, using the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Your immigration status and eligibility for other programs or services can also affect if you qualify. You will find out which program(s) you qualify for after you apply.  Note: You can get a health plan from Covered California without financial help. You will pay the entire cost of the health plan, but your household size and income will not affect your eligibility. However, we will still confirm your identity, including your immigration and incarceration statuses.

Your household size = you + spouse + tax dependents. Include everyone, even if they don’t need health coverage.

Your household income = the adjusted gross income of you + spouse + tax dependents. Based on the year you want coverage.

Names, Dates of birth, address, social security numbers, Federal tax information, employment information, immigration documents.

I check doctor networks before I recommend anything. Every time. Without exception.

This is non-negotiable in my practice because I have seen what happens when it gets skipped. A client switches to a lower-premium plan in December, feels good about the decision, and then discovers in January that their cardiologist is no longer in-network. The plan is technically valid. The savings are real. But the doctor they have seen for eight years is now inaccessible.

That outcome is avoidable. Every time.

Here is what the verification actually involves. It is not simply checking whether a doctor accepts Medicare. It is checking whether that doctor is contracted with the specific plan’s network, within the specific medical group that plan uses in your county. In California’s HMO market, the medical group is the critical layer. Two plans from the same carrier can have different medical groups, which means different specialists and different hospitals even at the same premium.

I check primary care physicians, every specialist on a client’s list, hospitals, and the plan’s 2027 directory specifically. Not 2026. Networks update every January and the difference matters.

Bring your doctor list. I do the network check before I recommend a single plan. Call (800) 590-7279.

Most Medigap enrollees in California do not know they have an annual second chance.

The California Birthday Rule gives every Medigap policyholder a 60-day window each year, beginning on their birthday, to switch to a plan with equal or lesser benefits from any California insurer. No medical underwriting. No health questions. No ability for the insurer to deny coverage or charge higher premiums based on current health status.

That last part is the piece that matters most. If you enrolled in a Medigap plan when you were healthy and your situation has changed since then, the Birthday Rule may be the only way you can move to a lower-premium plan or a different carrier without being penalized for your current health. Under standard federal rules, insurers can ask medical questions and decline applicants. California removes that barrier for one 60-day window every year.

The rule applies to all Medicare Supplement plans sold in California. It does not allow switching between Medigap and Medicare Advantage. But within the Medigap market, it is a meaningful protection that most people never use simply because no one told them it existed. I track my clients’ birthdays specifically because of this rule.

Your birthday window opens once a year and closes 60 days later. Call (949) 396-1202 before yours arrives.

Write these two dates on your calendar right now: October 15 and December 7.

That is your window. Every year. Those 53 days are the only time you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan that take effect January 1 of the following year. Outside of that window, with very limited exceptions, you are locked into whatever plan you are in.

During AEP you can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, move from one Advantage plan to another, return from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare, and change your Part D prescription drug plan. What you cannot do during AEP is enroll in a Medigap plan if you currently have Medicare Advantage. That requires a separate process with different rules.

What I tell every client, every year: do not treat AEP as a formality. Your plan changed whether you reviewed it or not. Benefits get adjusted, networks shift, drug formularies are updated, and premiums move. A thirty-minute call with me every October costs nothing and consistently catches things people did not know had changed.

Do not wait until November. Call (800) 590-7279 as soon as your Annual Notice of Change arrives in September.

This is the change buried in the Inflation Reduction Act that almost nobody told California Medicare seniors about. And for anyone taking expensive specialty medications, it is significant.

Effective 2025, there is a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on Medicare Part D prescription drug costs. Once you hit that ceiling in a calendar year, you pay nothing more for covered prescriptions for the rest of that year. Before this cap existed, there was no ceiling. Seniors taking expensive medications could face costs that climbed indefinitely.

Here is where it gets complicated. Not every Medicare plan applies this benefit the same way. The cap exists universally, but the path to reaching it depends entirely on your plan’s drug formulary, the tier your specific medications sit on, which pharmacies are in-network, and whether your drugs qualify as covered at all.

I have reviewed plans side by side for clients taking identical medications where the actual annual prescription cost differed by thousands of dollars because one plan placed a drug on Tier 3 and another placed the same drug on Tier 2. Reviewing your prescriptions against every available formulary during Annual Enrollment is not optional. It is the work that protects you from a February surprise when you fill your first prescription of the new year.

Bring your medication list. I review every drug against every available California plan. Call (800) 590-7279.

People ask me this every week, and my answer is always the same: it depends entirely on you.

That is not a dodge. It is the truth. The right choice comes down to three things: your doctors, your health needs, and your budget.

Medicare Advantage bundles your coverage through a private insurer. Premiums are often zero dollars. Extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, fitness, and transportation are frequently included. But you work within a network. HMO plans require referrals to see specialists. Benefits can change year to year. And the network is only as good as the specific medical group you are assigned to in your county.

Medigap works alongside Original Medicare. You pay a monthly premium, often between $100 and $300 depending on the plan and your age, but you can see any doctor who accepts Medicare anywhere in the country without a referral. What Medigap does not include is dental, vision, or the extra benefits Advantage plans provide.

California also has the Birthday Rule, which allows Medigap enrollees to switch to an equal or lesser plan each year around their birthday without medical underwriting. That protection does not exist in most other states, and it changes the calculation for California seniors significantly. Sit down with me for thirty minutes and I will show you both options using your specific situation.

Call (800) 590-7279 for a side-by-side comparison built around your doctors, prescriptions, and budget.

Licensed agents are a valuable resource for individuals struggling with the Covered California system. We work free of charge and offer honest feedback and support. The best part? Our services are completely free to consumers as we advocate for your healthcare and help manage your case year after year.

Medicare plans accommodate individuals with disabilities. Many people with permanent disabilities may qualify for state assistance alongside Medicare. While we are not allowed to use the terms “best” or “better,” options from Scan, Anthem, Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare are all highly rated and worth considering.

Yes, a spouse, family member, or friend can assist with enrollment. If the assisting person is completing the enrollment on behalf of the beneficiary without their input, they must be a legally authorized representative, such as someone with Power of Attorney.

Keeping your doctor is what we help you determine which plans are best. We call this the glue to figuring out the best plan for each consumer. First we begin with what plans your doctor accepts and look at those plans first.

Medicare Advantage is a type of secondary insurance to Parts A and B. Medigap is a more traditional form of secondary coverage and usually requires a monthly premium, while most Medicare Advantage plans in California do not. Advantage plans can be HMO or PPO networks. Medigap operates on a fee-for-service basis, allowing you to see any doctor that accepts Medicare. The better option depends on your current doctors, the plans they accept, and your monthly budget. This is where our team at MIT comes in.

Agents are compensated directly by the insurance companies whose plans they sell. Your premium is the same whether you enroll through an agent or on your own — but with an agent, you get a free consult, personalized plan matching, and an ongoing advocate at no additional cost. It is one of the best-kept secrets in healthcare.

Health insurance agents are paid a commission by the insurance carrier — not by you. This means working with a licensed agent like those at Medical Insurance Today is completely free to consumers. You get expert guidance, plan comparisons, and year-round support without paying a single dollar more than you would buying a plan on your own.

Yes — medicalinsurancetoday.com connects you directly with licensed, certified agents serving all California residents. Book a free consult online, call (800) 590-7279, or visit us in Costa Mesa. No waiting rooms, no call centers — just direct access to a real licensed professional who advocates for you.

Every agent at Medical Insurance Today holds an active California insurance license. You can verify any agent’s license at the California Department of Insurance website (insurance.ca.gov). Our lead agent Thomas Feeney holds CA License #0G18420 and #0K50571. We are a fully compliant Covered California Enrollment Center.

Medical Insurance Today serves all of California with licensed agents available by phone, online, or in person at our Costa Mesa office. Schedule your free consult today — our agents are ready to guide you to the most affordable health insurance policy for your situation, at no cost to you. Call (800) 590-7279 or visit medicalinsurancetoday.com.

Stop guessing and start comparing with a real licensed agent. Medical Insurance Today offers free plan comparisons across Covered California, Medicare, and private individual plans. We factor in your doctors, medications, budget, and family size to find the right fit. Get started at medicalinsurancetoday.com or call (800) 590-7279.

Get a free, no-obligation quote for individual health coverage at medicalinsurancetoday.com or call (800) 590-7279. Our licensed agents compare plans from all major California carriers to find you the most affordable coverage — with no fees and no pressure. Hablamos español.

Book your free consult with a licensed California health insurance specialist at Medical Insurance Today. Available by phone at (800) 590-7279, online at medicalinsurancetoday.com, or in person at our Costa Mesa office. We serve all of California including Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside, San Diego, and beyond.

Scheduling a free consult with Medical Insurance Today is easy. Call us at (800) 590-7279 Monday through Thursday, 9am–6pm, visit medicalinsurancetoday.com to request a quote online, or stop by our office at 1500 Adams Ave #201, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. We also speak Spanish — hablamos español.

Yes — Medical Insurance Today offers completely free consultations for all California residents. There is no fee, no obligation, and no pressure. Our licensed agents are compensated by the insurance carriers, so our guidance costs you nothing. Call (800) 590-7279, schedule online, or walk into our Costa Mesa office to get started.

Before signing up, ask: Is this plan on the Covered California marketplace? Am I eligible for financial help? Are my doctors and hospital in-network? What is the deductible and maximum out-of-pocket? Can I get dental and vision bundled? Our agents walk you through every one of these questions during your free consultation at Medical Insurance Today.

Great questions to ask include: Which plan keeps my current doctors in-network? Does my medication formulary change? What are the real out-of-pocket costs beyond the premium? Do I qualify for subsidies or tax credits? What happens if I need specialist care? Our agents at Medical Insurance Today answer all of these in your free consult — and we make it easy to understand.

Yes — our licensed agents specialize in Medicare plans for California residents, including Medicare Advantage (HMO and PPO), Medigap/Supplement plans, and Part D prescription drug coverage. We help you keep your doctors, understand your costs, and navigate enrollment timelines. Book a free Medicare consult at medicalinsurancetoday.com or call (800) 590-7279. Please note: we do not process Medi-Cal applications.

Medical Insurance Today works with California small business owners to find the right group health coverage for their team. Whether you have 2 employees or 50, our licensed agents provide a free consult to compare business medical plans, understand your contribution options, and help you offer competitive benefits. Visit medicalinsurancetoday.com/insurance-policy/business-medical-insurance/ to learn more.

At Medical Insurance Today, we specialize in the full spectrum of California health coverage: Covered California marketplace plans, Medicare plans (including Advantage and Medigap), individual and family private plans, dental, vision, life, and small business group coverage. One free consultation gives you access to our entire portfolio across all major carriers.

Our agents specialize in Covered California plans, Medicare and Medicare Advantage, Individual and Family plans, Dental and Vision insurance, Life and Legacy insurance, Supplemental and Deductible Protection plans, and Business Medical Coverage. If you are a California resident looking for affordable health insurance, we can help — book your free consult today.

Our licensed agents provide: free consultations for individuals, families, and small businesses; plan comparisons across Covered California, Medicare, Individual/Family, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance; enrollment assistance; annual plan reviews; and year-round support. Every service is free to consumers — we are paid by the insurance carriers, not by you.

Absolutely. Comparing health insurance plans on your own can be overwhelming. Our agents at Medical Insurance Today do this every day — comparing premiums, deductibles, networks, and drug formularies across all major California carriers including Anthem, Blue Shield, Kaiser, Health Net, Molina, and more. Book a free consult and we will do the heavy lifting for you.

Buying directly online means navigating complex plan details alone, with no advocate if something goes wrong. Our licensed agents provide personalized guidance, ensure you do not miss subsidies or tax credits you qualify for, help keep your existing doctors in-network, and remain available year-round for questions and changes — all at zero cost to you.