California Benefit

Medi-Cal

Also known as: California Medicaid

Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program, providing free or low-cost health coverage to eligible California residents with limited income.

At a Glance

  • Adults 19-64 with income up to 138% FPL qualify.Higher limits apply to children and pregnant women.
  • Children under 19 qualify up to 266% FPL.
  • Pregnant women qualify up to 213% FPL.
  • Must be a California resident.
  • + 2 more requirements below

Eligibility Requirements

Income Limit (Adults)

Required

Adults 19-64 with income up to 138% FPL qualify.Higher limits apply to children and pregnant women.

household_income_fpl 138 percent

Income Limit (Children)

Required

Children under 19 qualify up to 266% FPL.

household_income_fpl 266 percent

All of:

  • AND age < 19

Income Limit (Pregnant)

Required

Pregnant women qualify up to 213% FPL.

household_income_fpl 213 percent

All of:

  • AND is_pregnant = true

California Residency

Required

Must be a California resident.

state_residency = CA

Citizenship/Immigration

Required

California provides full-scope Medi-Cal to undocumentedresidents under 26 or 50+ years old, regardless ofimmigration status.

citizenship_status in [us_citizen, permanent_resident, refugee, asylee, prucol, undocumented_under_26, undocumented_50_plus]

No Other Coverage

Required

Generally cannot have other qualifying health coverage(some exceptions for Medicare dual eligibles).

has_other_qualifying_coverage = false

Ruleset effective: 2024-01-01

View as JSON
{"service_id":"medi-cal","effective_date":"2024-01-01","rules":[{"id":"income-adults","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":138,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Income Limit (Adults)","description":"Adults 19-64 with income up to 138% FPL qualify.\nHigher limits apply to children and pregnant women.\n","source_url":"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility"},{"id":"income-children","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":266,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Income Limit (Children)","description":"Children under 19 qualify up to 266% FPL.","conditions":[{"id":"is-child","key":"age","operator":"less_than","value":19}]},{"id":"income-pregnant","key":"household_income_fpl","operator":"less_than_or_equal","value":213,"unit":"percent","requirement":"required","label":"Income Limit (Pregnant)","description":"Pregnant women qualify up to 213% FPL.","conditions":[{"id":"is-pregnant","key":"is_pregnant","operator":"equals","value":true}]},{"id":"residency","key":"state_residency","operator":"equals","value":"CA","requirement":"required","label":"California Residency","description":"Must be a California resident."},{"id":"citizenship","key":"citizenship_status","operator":"in","values":["us_citizen","permanent_resident","refugee","asylee","prucol","undocumented_under_26","undocumented_50_plus"],"requirement":"required","label":"Citizenship/Immigration","description":"California provides full-scope Medi-Cal to undocumented\nresidents under 26 or 50+ years old, regardless of\nimmigration status.\n","source_url":"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-Cal-for-Immigrants.aspx"},{"id":"no-other-coverage","key":"has_other_qualifying_coverage","operator":"equals","value":false,"requirement":"required","label":"No Other Coverage","description":"Generally cannot have other qualifying health coverage\n(some exceptions for Medicare dual eligibles).\n"}]}

Quick Info

Agency
DHCS
Category
Healthcare
Last Verified
2026-01-13

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