Board Directs County Health to Develop Plan for Commercial Insurance, Local Lab Services on the Coast

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday directed San Mateo County Health to offer a roadmap to let the Coastside Health Center in Half Moon Bay accept commercial health insurance and to create a local lab collection program for Coastside residents.

The resolution, sponsored by District 3 Supervisor Ray Mueller, was adopted on the Board's consent agenda. During the meeting, the Board adjusted the implementation timeline: County Health will return to the Board of Supervisors within 90 days on the lab collection program and within 180 days for the process for accepting commercial insurance for health care.

Today's action responds to a long-standing concern on the coast. Many residents must travel to the Bayside for routine blood draws, diagnostic tests, medication-related lab monitoring and follow-up appointments.

"Seniors, residents with access and functional needs, and families who live and work on the Coast shouldn't have to live isolated from routine preventive health care and accessible urgent care," said Mueller, whose district includes the San Mateo County coast. "When a lab test gets missed, a prescription can't be safely adjusted and a small problem can become a big one."

The resolution does not change services at the center. It directs County Health to work with the County Executive's Office, the County Attorney and other County departments on an implementation roadmap, which the Board will review.

The roadmap must:

• Explain what it would take to accept commercial insurance at the center and offer local lab collection, including possible partnerships with private providers.
• Show which commercial plans, if any, the center accepts now, how it bills, who is eligible for care and where in-network gaps remain.
• Name at least one lab option that could start soon, who would run it, what it would cost, what approvals it needs and when it could begin. If none is possible now, explain what stands in the way and how to fix it.
• Show how to make these changes without cutting services, appointments or financial help for patients who have Medi-Cal, Medicare, little insurance or none, while meeting federal Health Center Program rules.

The lab program would be open to Coastside residents regardless of insurance type, including patients whose clinicians practice outside the County health system.

"County Health shares the goal of improving timely access to care for Coastside residents and throughout San Mateo County," said San Mateo County Health Chief Colleen Chawla. "We will provide the Board with a clear roadmap of feasible options and the considerations associated with each. Our work will focus on expanding access for insured Coastside residents while protecting access to existing services for Medi-Cal, Medicare, uninsured, and underinsured patients."

The action builds on a County-funded urgent care pilot in Half Moon Bay, launched by Dignity Health, which ran from Nov. 2024, through May 2025. It offered in-person and virtual same-day care for non-life-threatening problems. Patients didn't need to be Dignity Health patients, and no one was turned away because of their insurance status.

The pilot recorded 1,638 appointments, and 82% involved Coastside residents. Commercial insurance was the largest payer category, followed by Medi-Cal and Medicare.

Those results suggest that many Coastside residents seeking local care have private insurance and may not be able to use County-operated services unless their plan is accepted, according to the resolution.

Dignity Health closed its Half Moon Bay clinic on Oct. 31, 2025.

County Health provides many types of care on the coast. The Coastside Health Center, at 225 S. Cabrillo Highway in Half Moon Bay, is part of County Health's San Mateo Medical Center. The Coastside facility offers primary care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries and uninsured adults, teens and children, family planning, women's health, mental health services and dental care, along with access to other social service programs. It also provides a half day of adult primary care in Pescadero each week.

County Health's Mobile Clinic offers walk-in care for adults, including urgent care, on Wednesdays at the Ted Adcock Community Center in Half Moon Bay. Its Street and Field Medicine teams bring care to people experiencing homelessness and to farmworkers, working with partners including Puente, ALAS and LifeMoves.

About San Mateo County
Established in 1856, the County of San Mateo stretches from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay and includes 20 cities and rural communities. Home to more than 750,000 residents, it is one of California's most diverse counties with an economy driven by innovation, life sciences, agriculture and international trade and travel. In addition to serving unincorporated communities, the County provides countywide services that support the health, safety and quality of life of residents. Learn more at smcgov.org.

Preston Merchant
Director of Communications
San Mateo County Health
650-867-1661
[email protected]