CA Budget Decisions Made in Next 45 Days Will Shape Medi-Cal for Years:
Will they make 15 million Californians healthier or sicker?
Improve or worsen inequitable health outcomes?
Interview Opportunities: Ahead of the May Revision, experts available to provide insight on what’s at stake for Medi-Cal in the coming budget year
Sacramento, CA – A coalition of advocates for health consumers, communities of color, children, and older adults today released a set of principles to guide policymakers’ decisions over the future of Medi-Cal. Their joint call to transform the program into a safety net that is person-centered, accountable, and sustainable comes as Governor Newsom and lawmakers will soon confront the sweeping impacts of the federal H.R.1 on the design and financing of California’s largest health care program.
Critical decisions about the future of the program will be made in the coming weeks as Governor Newsom updates his FY 2026-27 budget proposal by May 14, and lawmakers must adopt a budget by June 15. At this juncture, the Governor and lawmakers will face a critical choice: will they raise revenues to make care sustainable for those whose lives depend on Medi-Cal, or undermine the program’s core mission with cuts that exclude people from care, deny critical services, and deepen inequities. The principles provide a clear answer – and offer leaders a plan to transform Medi-Cal into a program that improves experience, equity, and outcomes for families, children, seniors, people with disabilities and immigrant communities who count on the health program.
“Medi-Cal 2030 principles are grounded in the conviction that health is a human right and that Medi-Cal, properly designed and fully funded, is one of California’s most powerful tools for realizing it. In a moment when federal commitments to Medicaid are under significant threat, these principles are not aspirational, they are essential,” the groups wrote.
Background:
- Medi-Cal is California’s single largest health care program, covering 15 million people – 1 in 3 Californians and 3 in 7 children – and is one of the state’s most consequential investments.
- Despite its size and powerful role in health care, Medi-Cal has never fully lived up to its promise of equitable care for all. Persistent disparities exist in coverage, access, quality, and health outcomes along lines of race, ethnicity, language, immigration status, disability, and geography.
- Several forces are sparking overdue conversations about the future of Medi-Cal now. Among them are H.R.1, federal legislation that aims to terminate coverage for millions of Californians and otherwise destabilize funding for the health care safety net to pay for nearly $1 trillion in federal corporate tax breaks; the increasing role of artificial intelligence in health care, and cost pressures driven by a corporatized health care system that extracts profit at every turn.
The Medi-Cal 2030 principles provide a roadmap for transforming Medi-Cal into a program that fully honors its potential as a vehicle to advance health equity. They also provide a standard against which changes to Medi-Cal, such as the adoption of new technology, must be measured in order to realize Medi-Cal’s purpose.
What Experts are Saying:
“California can and must meet this moment with vision and courage. Medi-Cal has changed lives for generations, but we know too many people still face barriers to care. These principles chart a path toward a system that is more equitable, more accountable, and easier to access, one that reflects the dignity and needs of every Californian. We are proud to help shape this vision and committed to turning it into reality.” – Kim Lewis, Managing Director of California Advocacy, National Health Law Program.
“The Medi-Cal program is an essential health care safety net and a work in progress, with its mission to drive equitable health outcomes still unfulfilled. Now, Medi-Cal is confronting serious new challenges, from federal financing threats to soaring costs driven by hospitals and other corporations. California leaders must take the opportunity to transform Medi-Cal now in a way that strengthens its purpose and commitment to the people it serves – the majority of whom are people of color. The Medi-Cal: 2030 principles are a framework for making the program easier for consumers to navigate, improving the care delivered, and making progress toward equitable outcomes for Californians.” – Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
“At this pivotal moment, California has an opportunity to prove that the promise of Medi-Cal is not just an ideal but a blueprint the rest of the nation can follow. The Children’s Partnership is proud to have helped shape these principles that offer a concrete framework for closing the gap between what Medi-Cal promises and what families actually experience. When we build Medi-Cal around the real-life experiences of children and families, we build a healthier, more just California and a stronger nation.” – Mayra Alvarez, President, The Children’s Partnership
“The past year has been defined by deliberate policy choices to dismantle the programs families rely on, while corporations and the wealthy extract record profits. California must reject that agenda by putting people first in its policy decisions and strengthening Medi-Cal as a non-negotiable foundation to lasting stability.” – Cori Racela, Executive Director, Western Center on Law and Poverty
“Access to quality health and long-term care shouldn’t depend on a person’s health insurance, age, race, gender, immigration status or any other characteristic. Medi-Cal is already a vital and integral part of the state’s health care system. These principles provide a road map to creating a comprehensive program that will support Californians through every stage of their lives and advance health equity for all.” – Kevin Prindiville, Executive Director, Justice in Aging
“For years, the California Immigrant Policy Center has joined with other advocates to fight for a simple truth: health care is a human right, not a privilege tied to where you were born. The Medi-Cal 2030 Coalition gives us a powerful new vehicle to make that vision real.
“As the Trump administration works to strip health coverage from immigrant communities through H.R. 1, California must lead — and lead boldly. That means passing the Health4All budget proposal to protect humanitarian immigrants who will lose federal eligibility, ending the enrollment freeze that is leaving income-eligible undocumented Californians without care, and passing SB 1422 to restore the full-scope Medi-Cal access that was cut last year.
“The Medi-Cal 2030 Principles make clear: immigration status must never be a barrier to health coverage. Gov. Newsom and California’s next governor have both the opportunity and the responsibility to transform Medi-Cal into a program that truly works for every Californian by 2030. That legacy begins now — with the choices they make this year to protect and expand access for the communities who need it most.
“We are proud to be part of this coalition and to fight for a Medi-Cal that serves every Californian — no exclusions, no exceptions.” – Masih Fouladi, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center
“Medi-Cal can be complex, and as we face a shifting landscape on many fronts, the focus of any reform must be the person receiving care. Proposed changes must improve quality and equity for the patients Medi-Cal serves. In order to do that, it means holding the health care providers and insurers who operate in Medi-Cal responsible for meeting these goals for patients. Providers must put the needs of patients over their profit margins to ensure a system that actually works for those it serves.” – Rachel Linn Gish, Interim Deputy Director, Health Access California
