When Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his budget proposal this spring, it included a sweeping reversal: starting in 2026, undocumented Californians over 19 would no longer be eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal. It’s a move aimed at closing the state’s $12 billion deficit and one that would largely affect Latino communities across Southern California.
“It’s going to affect a lot of the underserved populations,” said Jonathan Mejia, Benefits Counselor Coordinator at St. John’s Well Child & Family Center in South Los Angeles. “It’s the communities that we serve day in, day out; it’s going to affect their health dramatically.”
Over the past decade, California has slowly expanded Medi-Cal to include more low-income residents, regardless of immigration status. Mejia and his team of benefit counselors at St. John’s have enrolled hundreds of undocumented patients into Medi-Cal since the state opened the program…