The budget that legislators must adopt by June 15 will set California on one of two courses: protecting the health coverage that millions rely on, or allowing federal cuts to decimate Medi-Cal, the insurance program covering 15 million Californians.
Without a strong response from lawmakers in the coming days, millions will be pushed out of coverage or lose critical health benefits, making California sicker and more unequal.
As of October, the most recent month for which data is available, more than 300,000 older immigrant adults who lack legal residency had enrolled in full Medi-Cal benefits, 30 percent more than the state’s original projection.
State health officials, who had based their estimate on the number of people enrolled in a limited form of Medi-Cal that covers only emergency medical services, don’t know how many additional older Californians are eligible.
California’s expansions of Medi-Cal to cover most low-income children and adults are a major step towards health equity in California.
But expanding health coverage is only the beginning. Now it’s time for California to lead the way again by shoring up quality and access within the system.
More than 150,000 California children dropped out of federally funded health insurance programs in 2018, a trend some experts blame on the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies and efforts to upend the Affordable Care Act.