*Starting in January 2024, undocumented people will be able to access full Medi-Cal services
By Pamela Cruz and Manuel Ortiz. Peninsula 360 Press.
Erica Morrison, a mother of two in Bakersfield, California, knows the importance of Medi-Cal, as it has helped her meet the medical needs of her two children, one whose formula cost her $500 a month and one with special needs who requires specialized care that she would be unable to meet by paying for herself.
“I wouldn’t have health coverage if it wasn’t for Medi-Cal. I also have a son who has special needs and he has many doctors who also receive Medi-Cal. If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t be able to get the medications or services we need and ultimately I wouldn’t be able to pay for them on my own with my income, without Medi-Cal he wouldn’t survive,” Morrison said in an interview with Peninsula 360 Press.
Morrison, who was once incarcerated and is now a specialist mentor for the organization Garden Paths, in Bakersfield, acknowledged that being able to count on Medi-Cal when leaving prison is very important, especially when you have someone waiting for you.
“A lot of times we are released with medications. People are released with medical needs that they were receiving while they were incarcerated and they don’t receive the same treatment when they are released. It’s like they just throw them out into the wild and say: go on your way. So, with Medi-Cal they can continue the coverage and continue the treatment or whatever medical needs they have,” he stressed.
For Sandy Close, executive director of Ethnic Media Services, an organization that held a press conference of Medi-Cal specialists with media from Kern County and others, learning that the flagship health program in the Golden State will be expanded as of January 1, 2024 to undocumented people aged 24 and older is great news.
“What’s going on with Medi-Cal? We’ve made a very rigorous effort to determine eligibility for medical beneficiaries, but that shouldn’t stop us from looking ahead to 2024 and hearing some very exciting news about the expansion of Medi-Cal and the amazing role that California is playing in the country, by developing a new way of delivering health care to communities through the expansion of medical services,” he said.
But what is Medi-Cal?
Measure‑Cal is California's version of the federal Medicaid program. Medi‑Cal offers no-cost or low-cost health coverage to eligible people who live in California.
And, starting in 2024, immigration status will not be an impediment to accessing the program, which since May 2022 has provided its services to undocumented people over 49 years of age below certain income thresholds.
This time, eligibility will depend on: being a California resident, being between 26 and 49 years old, and meeting the eligibility requirements for your income and family group.
Medi-Cal services are free, and its entire system covers doctor visits, prescription drugs, immunizations, mental health services, substance use treatment, vision care/glasses, dental care, hearing aids, transportation, in-home support services, long-term care, emergency services, and specialist visits, among others.
It should be noted that the United States government does not consider obtaining health care, food and housing benefits as part of the public charge regulation, so those who are in the process or consider one day regulating their immigration status are not in danger and can apply for Medi-Cal without fear.
Additionally, if you already have limited Medi-Cal, you do not need to fill out a new application for full-scope Medi-Cal, as you will be automatically enrolled in it on January 1, 2024. However, you may receive a Medi-Cal renewal packet in the mail. Please complete and return it as soon as possible or you may lose your Medi-Cal.
Reyna Olaguez, who is part of the organization Building Healthy Communities Kern, told Peninsula 360 Press that the importance of having and making known this type of information is crucial, since many do not trust being able to obtain, without being a public burden, full Medi-Cal coverage.
“It is very important that the undocumented population throughout the state of California realize that Medi-Cal has been expanded; now it is a new expansion that will grant benefits to undocumented people between the ages of 26 and 49 years old if the person's income allows it,” he said.
And while it is true that many will not be able to access Medi-Cal because their household income is higher, she said, organizations like the one she belongs to are already working to raise the income limit and allow more and more people to access the state program.
“There is a struggle, things don’t just happen because they happen, they happen because people raise their voices, and we started to raise the voices of communities that sometimes don’t have access to health insurance and we realized that one of those populations is our undocumented community,” she said.
In Kern County, he said, 53 percent of the people who work in the fields are undocumented, “so it is very important that these people who do such hard and important work in our community have access to health insurance.”
Olaguez called on people to speak with all family members who are candidates for Medi-Cal, such as parents, grandparents, siblings or children, and help them register, “because it is very important to have access to health insurance and focus on prevention and not when it is already too late.”
She recalled that organizations such as Building Healthy Communities Kern will be, starting in January 2024, touring various communities in the county, helping to register people who wish to apply for Medi-Cal, in addition to answering questions they may have about accessing the program.
Dee Slade and Trista Carter, CEO and vice president of African-American Network of Kern, respectively, agreed that Medi-Cal has become one of the most important programs for the African-American community, not only for those born in the United States, but also immigrants, “the other black culture.”
“(Medi-Cal) is very important because a lot of African American communities still need the support and care that Medi-Cal offers. But the information and education for that is not as accessible, and that’s why it’s important that we have those trusted messengers that can give and pass on that information as well. That way they can get the care that they need as well,” said Trista Carter.
For Dee Slade, “many undocumented people, even if they know the information, fear retaliation if they give too much information, because in the past, they may have heard or experienced problems filling out a form and receiving medical assistance, and then perhaps they had a bad experience because of the language.”
She stressed that another barrier is language, as those who also belong to the black culture may speak Spanish or another language, not just English. “That’s why I’m very excited to see that this is now being expanded to be more inclusive. But again, trusted messages need to somehow identify with those groups that don’t trust.”
The expansion of Medi-Cal, he said, will allow the most vulnerable to “get the help they need.”
“I’m excited that we’re including mental health, which is a priority on the agenda right now, but they will also receive prenatal care. And hopefully we won’t lose so many mothers of African-American or black culture, those immigrants who have immigrated here.”
He added that it is now important that immigration status does not matter, as former foster youth and former inmates seeking rehabilitation for substance abuse can also be candidates for Medi-Cal.
“That is not demographic or ethnic specific, and often it is not age specific either and there are many people on different spectrums of racial ethnicity. It is important that all people receive the care and support necessary to live a viable, healthy and safe life. We have African American people, people of black descent, people of African descent or other Caribbean people, and they also come here for support and to contribute to society in order to reintegrate into it,” Dee Slade explained to Peninsula 360 Press.
Juan Ávila is the operations manager of Garden Pathways, a mentoring organization that works with people who have been involved in the justice system (formerly incarcerated), as well as those at high risk of violence or who have experienced a lot of trauma in their lives, and through mentoring, helps them find employment, get involved in education, and achieve their goals, with the goal of having a better quality of life.
In 2016, Garden Pathways did not consider it necessary to work on Medi-Cal, however, after receiving a person who had been released from prison and had a very good opportunity to receive a job that would pay him well, when doing the physical exam, the doctor told him that he would not be able to let him work because he had a serious health condition, and that if he had had Medi-Cal he would have been able to receive the treatment. It was then that the organization decided to help people receive access to health care and have access to Medi-Cal.
“Now with the expansion (of Medi-Cal), which will give us the opportunity to enter jails and prisons and begin the application process, it will be much faster. When people leave, they will already have Medi-Cal activated and can go to the doctor to receive their treatments, receive counseling, mental health or their medications, if necessary,” he stressed.
Ávila explained that Kern County has a large population of immigrants and people who work in agriculture, “so in order for them to be able to do their jobs and feed the world, they have to be healthy too, so they can also help their own children and families. With the expansion for undocumented people from 26 to 49 years old, it is a good benefit, because it is the next generation that followed the one that already had Medi-Cal, but now it is complete, and they can receive vision, dental, and also mental health services, in addition to physical health.”
She also highlighted that, for organizations like Garden Pathways, Medi-Cal will provide funds that can help them continue with their services and not worry that there will be no resources in the future and continue working with communities that, “many times are forgotten and continue living on the margins, and with these expansions we will now be able to go work with them.”
During the press conference, Bill Wise of the Department of Kern County Human Services, issued an urgent appeal to those who have not renewed Medi-Cal in the last three years, as they could lose their coverage.
Although Medi-Cal renewals began in March and April of this year, many still haven't completed the necessary paperwork to keep their coverage, she said. As of September, Kern County had received 33,571 renewals, but more are expected to come, Wise said.
Medi-Cal has also been and is crucial for older adults. Barbara Carter Garcia, a 63-year-old former librarian who has lived in Bakersfield for a year, told Peninsula 360 Press that, as people age, it becomes increasingly important to have medical coverage, since illnesses are a constant.
“At my age we tend to have a lot more health problems as we get older. I have a pleural adhesion in my right lung that wasn’t managed properly, and since I’ve been on Medi-Cal it’s actually healing itself with medications that they gave me quickly. Right after I signed up, they set me up with an appointment right away. I also have my glasses now, which I can see really well with now, which helps me read, which I love to read,” Barbara said.
This avid reader said she can't imagine her life without Medi-Cal.
“I couldn’t, because I would be afraid to do so. Do you think that knowing that my health was such a nightmare when it came to work? Now that I know that I am a healthy woman, I am getting healthier. I feel that I can take care of myself properly and with great care.”
To learn more about the expansion of the Medi-Cal health program, as well as the requirements, and how to renew, please click here. Click here.
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