California Expands Medi-Cal Coverage To All Undocumented And Low-Income Adults

Sukey Guadalupe Ramirez's son had multiple heart surgeries at Children's Hospital Los Angeles that saved his life after Medi-Cal coverage expanded to cover undocumented children in 2015.

Now, Ramirez is eligible for comprehensive coverage after California expanded Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented and low-income people between the ages of 26 and 49 on Jan. 1. Medi-Cal is the state’s version of the Medicaid health insurance program.

"There was always a peace of mind knowing that my kids had coverage," Ramirez said at an L.A. County Health Care/Medi-Cal expansion briefing on Thursday. "But now that we can have coverage too, it's an additional relief because now I don't have to worry about the expense of caring for myself."

This expansion will give an estimated 700,000 people statewide access to the full-scope of Medi-Cal. That includes mental health, medical, vision and dental care. It’ll also include long-term care, substance use disorder services, in-home care and more.

The state said undocumented people applying for Medi-Cal benefits will not qualify as a public charge, aside from a few small exceptions. Those would include residential nursing homes, and mental health institutional care.

"A lot of our families were having to choose between paying for some invasive dental work or vision or getting new glasses or whatnot or putting food on the table," said Celia Valdez, the director of outreach and education at Maternal and Child Health Access.

A majority of the people benefitting from the latest Medi-Cal expansion are Latino, Asian, Armenian and more, according to Anna Gorman, Director of My Health LA. She said most didn't have satisfactory immigration status to qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal in the past.

The state began expanding benefits in 2015 and began covering young adults in 2020. Two years later, older adults were included.

Gorman said previously this group — 26 and 49-year-olds — could only get emergency or restricted Medi-Cal.

"They were the one population left out of the Affordable Care Act, protections, and expansion," she said.

The expansion also marked the end of My Health LA — a 2014 program for low-income, uninsured people who didn't qualify for public health insurance. It was a partnership between the L.A. County Department of Health Services and more than 50 community health centers and clinics.

Folks still enrolled in My Health LA are encouraged to apply for Medi-Cal immediately. The program will sunset on Jan. 31.

One group of undocumented people still remain uninsured — those who make more than the Medi-Cal eligibility limit. For a single person, the threshold lies at $20,121. For a family of four, the limit is $41,400.

Still, Carmen Muniz, Family Health Care Center of Greater Los Angeles chief operations officer, encourages people to reach out to their local community health center to see what other plans they may qualify for if they're out of the Medi-Cal scope.

Amelia Torres echoes that sentiment. She was enrolled in My Health LA since 2001. But on Jan. 1, she became a Medi-Cal recipient. She said she feels secure with her health coverage. Torres urged other eligible community members to also sign up for Medi-Cal.

"Take advantage of this opportunity," she said. "With My Health LA, the program was very basic. Now, with Medi-Cal, you can go to the dentist and get other coverage."