Enrollment efforts expand as Medi-Cal starts covering adults who are undocumented

Local agencies that get Southern California residents enrolled for Medi-Cal coverage are reaching out to people ages 26 through 49 who are soon going to be eligible regardless of their immigration status.

Earlier this year, in a budget deal struck between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature, coverage was expanded to all adults who are undocumented, which is expected to add more than 700,000 residents to those receiving state-subsidized coverage.

People who are undocumented make up 40% of the state’s approximately 1 million residents who are uninsured, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. That could change beginning Jan. 1, with the new law in California that will allow adults who are undocumented to qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal and gain access to affordable primary care services such as annual check-ups and lab tests.

Previously California had opened eligibility to youth and elderly people who are undocumented. The expansion is expected to cost about $2.6 billion annually.

Enrollment is now open at BenefitsCal.com, and an estimated 40,000 to 70,000 adults in Orange County are expected to qualify for this coverage expansion. The state Department of Health Care Services anticipates approximately 274,000 new members in the coverage expansion population coming from Los Angeles County. Riverside County and San Bernardino County officials are also helping enroll newly eligible residents.

Michael Hunn, CEO of CalOptima Health, said one of the challenges to getting people to enroll will be trust. Some people who do not have immigration documents may feel weary about providing their information, but Hunn said working with community organizations and clinics will make all the difference in getting people to apply for coverage.

“We always look to the trusted community partners or navigators that can help the population that we want to serve, and that is mainly our community clinics and community-based organizations that are in the same neighborhoods, in the same location as the members live and work,” Hunn said. “We encourage individuals that are concerned about their immigration status to go to a trusted partner, a community clinic, talk to someone that can speak their primary language, whatever that happens to be. And they can assure them that this information that is provided is just to receive the help. It does not interface with their immigration status at all.”

Hunn said CalOptima, Orange County’s provider of publicly funded health coverage, is investing in hiring navigators at community clinics who will be dedicated to answering coverage-related questions and ensure that people feel safe applying regardless of citizenship status.

AltaMed Health Services serves more than 500,000 people across counties, including those who are undocumented or uninsured, so its clinics staff additional multilingual personal who can help people sign up and answer questions or concerns they may have.

“To us, it is success when our community knows what they’re eligible for and they get the benefits,” Efrain Talamantes, chief operating officer and primary care physician at AltaMed, said. “It allows us to make sure that they’re not disproportionately suffering from things that we could address and that we should be able to take care of well before they get really sick.”

Patients who are undocumented and uninsured, Talamantes said, hit a wall when it comes to receiving additional treatment outside of their AltaMed clinics, such as physical therapy. This expansion of Medi-Cal will allow medical providers to be more proactive about treating physical and mental health conditions.

“I think there are long-standing injustices that these communities have faced that lead to chronic conditions, common conditions, not just physical, but mental,” Talamantes said. “I think that we in medicine have advanced. There’s so many advancements to prevent disease and keep people healthy before it’s too late. It’s the right thing to do. All patients, regardless of documentation status, deserve to have primary care.”

Phinney Ahn, director of Medi-Cal for the L.A. Care Health Plan, said community clinics or the L.A. County Department of Health Services program called My Health L.A. provide health care services for people who need it and won’t turn anyone away patients who are undocumented or uninsured.

“Medi-Cal offers a really comprehensive set of health care services that includes medical care, dental vision, mental health, substance use disorder, emergency room, inpatient,” Ahn said, adding that the state has also been adding more benefits that include patients’ needs outside of the medical offices. “So making sure that an individual’s social needs are addressed in addition to their physical health care needs. There are additional benefits such as transportation to and from the doctor’s office or the pharmacy or medically tailored meals. There’s a whole list of community supported services that all of the Medi-Cal plans are now offering. All of these will now be available to individuals who are newly eligible for Medi-Cal.”

To get help with the application process, people can visit their local county social services departments, local clinics and other community organizations.

Residents within Riverside County can apply at any of the district offices, or attend one of the public events hosted to receive one-on-one help. More information on office locations or event dates can be found at RivCoDPSS.org.

The Department of Health Care Services said in a statement that the U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Citizenship and Immigration Services do not consider health, food or housing benefits as part of the public charge determination, meaning that using Medi-Cal benefits will not hurt an individual’s immigration status. Also, when someone applies for state-funded benefits, their information is only used to determine if they qualify.

“I think the biggest thing that I always have in mind is that you as an individual have to choose and take care of yourself,” Hunn said. “I want to encourage everyone, regardless of their immigration status, please choose to take care of yourself. Take care of your own well-being. And if you have the ability to have access to health insurance like Medi-Cal, no cost, no premium, no co-pay, if you’re full-scope with Medi-Cal, please take that wonderful benefit and choose to take care of yourself as a person.”