“Angelica” is the name assigned to an AI program deployed last year by Kern Family Health Care, the largest provider of Medi-Cal services in Kern County. As the federal government ended pandemic-era protections and states resumed screening people for Medicaid eligibility, health plans such as Kern Family began looking to technology to keep eligible people enrolled. State rules still prohibit Medi-Cal health plans from soliciting new enrollees, and only county health officials determine eligibility. “They have a leadership group that is very innovative and forward-thinking,” Vanessa Frando, the chief deputy director of Kern County Human Services, said of Kern Family. That exchange highlights one of local and state health officials’ biggest concerns — that people who’ve grown accustomed to automatic renewals aren’t aware of the reenrollment requirements.