‘It’s just too much’: Why many insured Californians avoid hospitals in this county

Every three months Bernie Medina takes a day off of work and drives an hour from Salinas to San Jose to see her oncologist. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer two years ago and needs regular checkups. Medina lives in Monterey County but her health insurance forbids her from using any of the local hospitals.

Medina and her wife Jeannie are both teachers in Salinas Union High School District. They’re enrolled in a local government employee health insurance plan created a decade ago to save employees and employers money. To do that, it excludes all Monterey County hospitals and their affiliates. As the hospitals have gobbled up local doctors’ offices and urgent care centers, seeing specialists like Medina’s oncologist and getting emergency care have become more difficult.