*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 well the importance of Medi-Cal, as it has helped her cover the medical needs of her children, one whose formula cost $500 a month, and another with special needs that require specialized care, which would be impossible to cover by paying for it herself.
?I wouldn't have health coverage if it weren't for Medi-Cal. I also have a son who has special needs and 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 imprisoned and is now a specialist mentor in the organization Garden Paths, in Bakersfield, acknowledged that being able to count on Medi-Cal when you leave prison is very important, especially when you have someone waiting for you.
?Many times we are released with medication. People are released with medical needs that they were receiving while incarcerated and do not receive the same treatment when they are released. They're like they just threw them out into the wild and said, go on your way. So, with Medi-Cal you can continue with coverage and continue with treatment or any medical needs you 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, learn that the star health program in the Golden State will be expanded starting January 1, 2024 to undocumented people to from the age of 24, this is great news.
?What's happening with Medi-Cal? We have made a very rigorous effort to determine the eligibility of medical beneficiaries, but that should not stop us from looking ahead to 2024 and receiving very exciting news about the expansion of Medi-Cal and the amazing role that California is playing in the country, developing a new way of providing medical care to communities through the expansion of medical services?, he noted.
But what is Medi-Cal?
Measure?Cal is the California version of the federal Medicaid program. Measure?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 of age, and meeting the eligibility requirements for your income and family group.
Medi-Cal Services are free, and your entire system covers doctor visits, prescription medications, vaccines, mental health services, substance use treatment, vision care/glasses, dental care, hearing aids, transportation, home support, long-term care, emergency services, and specialist consultations, 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 they 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 Medi-Cal, as you will be automatically enrolled in it on January 1, 2024. However, you may receive a renewal packet Medi-Cal by mail. Complete it and return it as quickly as possible or you could 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 this type of information known is crucial, since many do not trust being able to obtain, without being a public charge, complete 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 of age if the person's income allows it, he commented.
And while it is true that many will not be able to access Medi-Cal because the household income is higher, he said, organizations like the one he belongs to are already working to raise the income limit and allow more and more people to access it. to the state program.
?There is a struggle, things don't just happen because they do, they happen because people raise their voices, and we began to raise the voices of communities that sometimes do not have access to health insurance and we realized that one of those populations is our undocumented community?, he pointed out.
And 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 strong and important work in our community have access to medical insurance?
Olaguez called to talk to all those 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's too late?
He 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 Afro-descendant community, not only for those born in the United States, but also for immigrants "the other black culture."
?(Medi-Cal) It is very important because many African American communities still need the support and care of Medi-Cal and what it offers. But the information and education for that is not as accessible, and that is why it is important that we have those reliable messengers who can give and transmit that information as well. “That way they can also receive the care they need,” said Trista Carter.
For Dee Slade, “many undocumented immigrants, even though 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 they may have had a bad experience.” because of the language?
He stressed that another barrier is language, since those who also belong to the black culture can speak Spanish or another language, not just English. ?So I'm really excited to see that this is now being expanded to be more inclusive. But again, must trusted messages be identified in some way with those groups that do not trust?
The expansion of Medi-Cal, he said, will allow the most vulnerable to "receive the help they need."
?I'm excited because we're including mental health, which is high on the agenda right now, but they'll also get prenatal care. And I hope we don't lose so many mothers of African American culture or black culture, those immigrants who have immigrated here?
To this, he added the importance that immigration status now does not matter, since former foster youth and formerly incarcerated people seeking rehabilitation for substance abuse may also be candidates for Medi-Cal.
?That's not demographic or ethnic specific, and many times it's not age specific either and there are a lot of 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 in search of support and contribute to society to reintegrate into it,” Dee Slade explained to Peninsula 360 Press.
Juan Ávila, is the operations manager for 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 gone through a lot of trauma in their life. life, and based on mentoring they are helped to find employment, get involved in education, and achieve their goals, with the aim 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 give him a good salary, When he underwent a 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 Medi-Cal he would have been able to receive treatment. That's when the organization decided to help people receive access to health care and access Medi-Cal.
?Now with the expansion (of Medi-Cal), which is going to give us the opportunity to enter jails and prisons, and begin the application process, it is going to be much faster. When people leave they already have Medi-Cal. 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 do their job and feed the world they have to be healthy as well, so that they can also help their families." 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 completes, and they can receive vision, dental and also mental health services In addition to physics?
He also highlighted that, for organizations like Garden Pathways, Medi-Cal will provide funds that can help them continue 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 can now go to work with them?
During the press conference, Bill Wise of the Department of Kern County Human Services, made an urgent call to those who have not renewed Medi-Cal in the last three years, as they could lose their coverage.
Although Medi-Cal renewal began between March and April of this year, many still do not complete the necessary procedures to be able to maintain their coverage, he said. As of last September, Kern County received 33,571 renewals, but they are expected to continue coming, Wise said.
Medi-Cal has also been and is crucial for older adults. Barbara Carter García, a 63-year-old former librarian, who has lived in Bakersfield for a year, told Peninsula 360 Press that, with age, it is 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 was not managed properly, and since I've been on Medi-Cal it is actually healing on its own with medications that I was given quickly. Immediately after signing up, they made an appointment for me right away. I also have my glasses, with which I can see very well now, which helps me read, which I love to read?, Barbara said.
This avid reader noted that she cannot imagine her life without Medi-Cal.
?I couldn't, because I would be afraid to do it. Do you think that knowing that my health was that bad when it came to work? Now I know that I am a healthy woman, I am getting healthier. Do I feel that I can take care of myself correctly and with great care?
To learn more about the expansion of the Medi-Cal health program, as well as requirements, and how to renew, please click here. click here.
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