FRESNO, Calif. _ Undocumented young adults in California will become eligible for Medi-Cal _ the state's health care insurance for low-income families _ when new law takes effect Jan. 1.
More than 1,000 in Fresno County are set to receive the new benefits as soon as the new year rolls around.
The new legislation will extend Medi-Cal benefits to undocumented adults age 19 to 26. Undocumented youth under age 19 were already eligible for health care coverage under a law passed in 2015, and implemented the following year.
In Fresno County, a total of 1,613 undocumented residents age 19 through 25 were already in the county's Medi-Cal system, receiving restricted Medi-Cal benefits, according to Josh Hernandez, a program manager with Fresno County Department of Social Services.
For the past few months, the state has worked with counties to transition people with restricted Medi-Cal to full-scope Medi-Cal benefits, which they will be eligible to receive effective Jan. 1.
Full-scope benefits cover everything, including preventive and primary care, while restricted Medi-Cal only covers emergency care.
"They've all been sent notices notifying them of that switch," Hernandez said.
Hernandez said it's difficult for the county to estimate how many new eligible enrollees it will see, in terms of those who have never applied for Medi-Cal benefits before.
Statewide, officials estimate some 138,000 young undocumented adults will receive full-scope Medi-Cal benefits during the first year of the law's implementation.
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The budget approved by lawmakers this year included $98 million to offer health care coverage to this group during the first year.
The expansion makes California the first state to offer such benefits to young undocumented adults.
Under Senate Bill 75, which offers full-scope Medi-Cal to undocumented children up to 19 years of age, more than 6,000 children in Fresno County had benefited as of November 2018, according to state reports. The reports are currently being updated.
Those receiving benefits under SB 75 will no longer have their benefits cut off when they turn 19, as their benefits will roll over under the expansion.
There are an estimated 2.2 million undocumented residents in California, according to a 2019 health policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
And those in the age group of 19 through 25 years old account for a 7% of the low-income undocumented population, the research added.
Those ages 0 through 18, meanwhile, accounted for a 12 percent.
And those in the age group of 26 through 44 accounted for the majority of the undocumented population, representing a 56 percent.
Undocumented individuals between the ages of 45 through 64 represented a 23% of the undocumented population.
And those older than 65 represented only a 1 percent, according to the brief.
Under the new law, young undocumented adults will have their Medi-Cal benefits terminated when they turn 26.
Lawmakers, such as Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, have said they intend to continue to push to expand health care options for all undocumented immigrants in the state.
For now, Hernandez said Fresno County made sure its staff is aware of the changes going into effect Jan. 1.
County officials also have contacted community-based organizations throughout the county to get the word out to those who might be eligible for the new benefits.
Anyone who believes they might be eligible is welcome to visit any of the Fresno County Medi-Cal offices, apply online, or mail or fax their application.
"We want to make sure that all clients get services in a timely manner," Hernandez said.
