Medi-Cal Enrollment Freeze for Undocumented Adults Takes Effect
California halts new Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented adults ages 26-49 as a budget measure, saving $77.9M in 2025-26 but rising to $3.3B by 2028-29. An estimated 1.7M undocumented Californians currently have Medi-Cal. FQHCs must now serve new undocumented patients on the sliding fee scale with no encounter revenue.
Key takeaways
- New Medi-Cal enrollment halted for undocumented adults ages 26-49 as of January 1, 2026
- Saves $77.9M in 2025-26 but rises to $3.3B annually by 2028-29
- 1.7M undocumented Californians currently have Medi-Cal coverage
- FQHCs must serve new undocumented patients on sliding fee scale with no encounter revenue
Primary source
CalMattersAffected FQHCs
FQHC Talent. (2026, January 1). Medi-Cal Enrollment Freeze for Undocumented Adults Takes Effect. Primary source: CalMatters. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/medi-cal-enrollment-freeze
More in Undocumented Access
Oct 1
PPS Rate Elimination for Undocumented Patient Services (Effective Oct 2026)
Jul 1
Dental Coverage Eliminated for Undocumented Medi-Cal Enrollees (Effective Jul 2026)
Apr 24
100,000 Immigrants Disenrolled From Medi-Cal June–December 2025 — Chilling Effect Quantified
Apr 15
Medicaid-ICE Data Sharing Creates 'Cloud of Fear' Across San Bernardino Immigrant Communities — Direct Threat to FQHC Patient Retention