The mission of the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) is to help California consumers resolve problems with their health plans, protect the rights of health plan enrollees, and work to provide a financially solvent and stable managed health care system through:
- Administering and enforcing the body of statutes collectively known as the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, as amended.
- Operating the 24-hour-a-day Help Center.
- Licensing and overseeing all Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and some Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) in the state. Currently, approximately 20 million Californians are enrolled in health plans regulated by the DMHC.
- Convening the Financial Solvency Standards Board (FSSB), comprised of consumer representatives and experts in the medical, financial, and health plan industries. The FSSB advises the Director on matters of financial solvency that affect the delivery of health care services, including health plans' oversight of delegated medical groups, and develops and recommends financial solvency requirements and standards relating to health plan operations.