Luz felt relieved and grateful when she learned that her 16-year-old son qualified for full coverage under Medi-Cal. Now, she worries that the information she provided to the government health program could put her family at risk of deportation.
Luz’s son is one of nearly 190,000 children who have enrolled in Medi-Cal since California opened it to undocumented children last year. Luz, her husband and her son came to Merced, Calif., from Mexico without papers about 10 years ago. Luz asked that the family’s last name not be used, for fear of being identified by federal immigration authorities.
In the current political climate, immigration and health advocates worry that children, like Luz’s son, will drop out of Medi-Cal and that new kids won’t enroll out of concern that personal information may be used to deport families.
Luz would need to renew her son’s coverage in October, but she remains undecided even though the program paid for his hospital visit when he injured a foot. “I’m still thinking about it,” she said.
Last May, the state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) implemented the new “Health For All Kids” law allowing California children under 19 to receive full Medi-Cal benefits, including dental care and mental health, regardless of their immigration status. Previously, undocumented children could receive only emergency care through Medi-Cal.
California followed Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia in offering state-supported health coverage to children in the country illegally.
Medi-Cal is California’s version of the federal Medicaid program for people with low incomes. The federal government pays for a significant portion of the California program, as it does for all states. But coverage for undocumented kids is entirely funded by the state.
From last May to through April 6, 189,434 undocumented children signed up for the program, according to the most recent state data. The health care services department estimates that another 61,000 children are eligible but not enrolled. Advocates say now is the time for a push to sign up these “harder-to-reach” children and to encourage those already in the program to stay.
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