New law aims to fix a major frustration with health care in California

"Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that requires weekly updates to health-service provider directories so people know what doctors and hospitals are in their network when they they shop for coverage or seek care.

Senate Bill 137 by West Covina Democrat Ed Hernandez responds to consumer complaints about inaccurate online directories. This has been a problem for years, but things got worse when thousands of consumers tried to pick a plan and provider after signing up for new insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

The problem got so bad that Covered California took its provider search tool down in February 2014. It still isn’t up — consumers are directed to individual health plan websites instead. The Department of Managed Health Care slammed Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California last year for failing to provide accurate provider lists. The agency is preparing to do follow-up surveys to see if inaccuracies have been fixed, spokesman Rodger Butler said."

Read more at Modern Healthcare