California's health care public insurance helps low-income families.
Medi-Cal is California's version of Medicaid. It is a health care insurance program for the public in which low-income individuals and families may qualify for benefits. Medi-Cal is funded equally by the state and by the federal government and administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Applications for Medi-Cal can be accessed on line through dhcs.ca.gov or by visiting the local Health and Human Services agency. Qualifications vary by each case and by the number of persons requesting coverage.
Automatic Eligibility
Eligibility for Medi-Cal may be automatic if enrollment is established in one of the following programs: SSI/SSP, CalWorks (AFDC), refugee assistance, foster care or adoption assistance or in-home supportive services (IHSS). Eligibility may also be automatic if one of the following conditions apply: if you are age 65 or older, disabled, blind, under 21 years of age, pregnant, in a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility, on refugee status for a limited time, have been screened for cervical or breast cancer or if you are a parent or caretaker relative of a child under the age of 21 whose parent is deceased, does not live with the child, incapacitated, under-employed or unemployed. An application will need to be processed to find out if all eligibility criteria has been met.
Income Eligibility
Certain low-income persons may be eligible for Medi-Cal based on the poverty level. Check with the local Health agency to find the current poverty guidelines. From research gathered from healthinsuranceinfo.net (see Reference 4) and based on the year 2009, individuals must meet the following income criteria:
Infants: 200 percent of federal poverty level ($3,052 monthly for a family of 3)
Children age 1-5: 133 percent
Children age 6-19: 100 percent
Non-working parents: 100 percent
Working parents: 106 percent
Pregnant women: 200 percent
Medically needy:
(single) 83 percent
(couples) 97 percent
Compare your annual income to the poverty limits.
Family size of one: $10,830
Family size of two: $14,570
Family size of three: $18,310
Based on this information, 200 percent of the poverty level for a family of three would equal an annual income of $36,620. For adult couples, 97 percent would be equal to $14,132.
Additional Requirements
The applicant must be a California resident. Proof of residency will be required. Applicants do not need to be a United States citizen and, depending on alien status, Medi-Cal benefits may still be given out. Proof of citizenship or alien status will be required. Contact the local agency to find out specific eligibility.
Tags: Family size, poverty level, agency find, alien status, annual income, couples percent