Millions of Californians have been left without medical services due to a lack of information to complete their Medi-Cal renewal processes, with farming communities being the most affected, given their lack of knowledge about being a beneficiary and having no idea of the process to follow.
During the pandemic, medical services covered all residents of the United States, but they were asked to renew their Medi-Cal service and update their information in order to continue with coverage.
However, more than 15 million residents - about 40 percent of Californians - have been left without health coverage because they failed to complete their applications.
During the radio program Pensula 360 Press, in collaboration with Marcos Gutiérrez, from ?Hecho en California?, journalist Manuel Ortiz commented that he visited the community of Tulelake, in Siskiyou County, where he interviewed some farmers to find out how they respond to a health emergency and to find out if they have a medical service.
He said that the responses he heard from farmers were not favorable, as most of them prefer to endure the discomfort or visit the monkey with their own resources.
When asked about the Medi-Cal renewal service, farmers responded that they are not familiar with this topic, which makes completing the corresponding process almost impossible for them.
In this regard, he said it is unfortunate that millions of people are left without medical coverage due to lack of information since, in many cases, their lives depend on this service. Some sick people undergo long and very specific treatments with constant check-ups and medications, so losing their Medi-Cal represents a risk to their lives.
Anna Lee Mraz explained that there are various ways to continue with Medi-Cal services, for example, for people over 50, the service is completely free, regardless of their immigration status.
Mraz said that many people are afraid of being part of Medi-Cal programs because they believe that they may put their stay in the country at risk; however, this is not the case since there is a data privacy contract that protects people.
It is important to remember that even people who do not qualify for Medi-Cal are eligible for health services because they can obtain low-cost health insurance through Covered California, which is the state's marketplace for health insurance plans.