The California Department of Health Care Services has put out an excellent page for Medi-Cal changes in the coming months and years. Some of the information shown may change depending on what the state of California does and also at the federal level. Check the page regularly for updates to program changes. Regardless, the Medi-Changes webpage is a great resource to learn how your Medi-Cal may be changing.
Screenshots from the Medi-Cal Change webpage are from July 2026. Check for updates as rules may change in the future.
Most Medi-Cal Changes Outlined
When you go to the Medi-Cal Changes web page the first top program category is older adults and people with disabilities. Older adults are 65 years of age with Medicare or individuals with disabilities under 65 with or without Medicare. These program changes do not apply to people that have gained Medi-Cal through Covered California and are under 65 years of age.
That program is called MAGI Medi-Cal (or modified adjusted gross income Medi-Cal). It is only based on your income, not your assets. The asset limitation applies to people who are 65 and older that have Medicare. Through June 30th, 2027, you can have assets up to $130,000 for one person, adding another $65,000 for each individual in the household. But this page says that starting July 1, 2027, the asset limit will be $21,000 for one person and $31,000 for two people. That’s a significant change.
Assets countered are bank accounts, cash, and if you have more than one house or more than one vehicle. What is not included in the assets is the home you live in, one vehicle, household items, and some savings like retirement accounts.
Work Requirements for MAGI Medi-Cal Adults
Adult MAGI Medi-Cal beneficiaries will be subject to work requirement beginning January 2027. This does not apply to individuals with Medicare.
The work requirement does not apply to several groups including children, Medicare, disabled, parents of children up to age 13, and former foster care young adults until age 26.
To meet the work requirement to maintain Medi-Cal eligibility, you need to earn at least $580 a month. You are exempt if you are volunteering 80 hours per month or attending school half-time.
Your county Medi-Cal office will need you to check in with them every six months to verify you are meeting the work, school, or volunteering rules.
Medi-Cal looks back 90 days to cover any medical bills. Beginning in January 2027, they will only look back one month for adults without children or two months for other groups.
Medi-Cal will require a copayment for some health care services beginning in October 2028.
Immigration Status and Medi-Cal Eligibility Changes
An enrollment freeze is in place for certain immigration statuses.
To view the complete table of immigration categories and Medi-Cal eligibility visit Immigration Status and Changes to Medi-Cal Eligibility.
Further restrictions on immigrant eligibility for Medi-Cal will occur in July 2027. Affected groups will be refugees, asylees, humanitarian paroloee, and survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.
Some immigrants will be transitioned from an HMO Medi-Cal plan to a fee-for-service model. This means the Medi-Cal beneficiary will need to providers who accept Medi-Cal, otherwise they will incur the full cost of the service.
Some people will lose Denti-Cal dental coverage. Some emergency dental services will still be covered. Certain groups such as children, pregnant people, and former foster young adults will be able to keep the dental coverage.
Some populations will be required to make a monthly premium for their Medi-Cal coverage beginning in July 2027.
YouTube video on the Medi-Cal Change Webpage.
