86,000+ Undocumented Californians Dropped or Denied Medi-Cal in Jan-Feb 2026 — First Hard Numbers Since UIS Freeze
KVPR / Public Health Watch published the first sector-wide enrollment numbers since California's UIS (Undocumented Income-Sensitive) freeze took effect: 86,000+ immigrants without legal status either lost or were denied Medi-Cal in January-February 2026, exiting at 6x the rate of other enrollees. Modeling projects ~1.3M Californians will lose full-scope Medi-Cal coverage over the next 4 years if the freeze stays in place.
This pairs with the Kheir Clinic patient-coverage story (60-100 enrollment-help requests per day) already tracked — Kheir was the single-clinic anecdote; this is the statewide denominator.
Strategic implication: FQHCs are absorbing the coverage hit.
Largest exposure: AltaMed, FHCSD, La Clinica de la Raza, Clinica Sierra Vista, United Health Centers, Family Healthcare Network, Clinicas del Camino Real. This is the data FQHC CFOs need for board presentations explaining 2026 sliding-fee-scale demand surges and self-pay collections decline.
Key takeaways
- 86,000+ undocumented Californians dropped/denied Medi-Cal in just 2 months — 6x exit rate of other enrollees
- ~1.3M projected to lose full-scope Medi-Cal coverage over the next 4 years if freeze persists
- First post-freeze enrollment numbers — the statewide denominator FQHC CFOs need for board presentations
Primary source
KVPR / Public Health WatchAffected FQHCs
FQHC Talent. (2026, May 26). 86,000+ Undocumented Californians Dropped or Denied Medi-Cal in Jan-Feb 2026 — First Hard Numbers Since UIS Freeze. Primary source: KVPR / Public Health Watch. Retrieved July 14, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/kvpr-86k-undocumented-dropped-medi-cal-jan-feb-2026
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