US EditionTrump's Medicaid Work Mandate Could Kick Thousands of Unhoused Californians Off Coverage
California aims to automate Medi-Cal work verification to protect an estimated 3.5 million recipients but faces data gaps risking coverage loss for many unhoused individuals.
- State Medi-Cal officials are building an automated verification system to check work compliance and exemptions, hoping to spare 3.5 million Californians from paperwork under 2027 rules.
- Starting in 2027 the federal work‑requirement law requires states to verify 80 monthly work hours for able‑bodied adults younger than 65 without dependent children and renew eligibility every six months, exempting children, people who are pregnant, foster youth and people with disabilities.
- Linking IRS data, purchased workforce data, state universities and colleges, and medical diagnosis codes will auto-detect exemptions, but gaps remain since volunteer work isn’t in databases and six-month reverification is unclear.
- State officials estimate up to 2,000,000 people could lose Medi‑Cal, and advocates warn this may shrink street medicine teams, increase emergency room reliance, and jeopardize housing and services tied to Medi‑Cal.
- With roughly 180,000 homeless Californians, providers note many face barriers; just 7% saw a provider last year, making exemption access difficult.
18 Articles
18 Articles
On a cool January morning, medical assistant Brett Feldman was walking the streets of Los Angeles looking for patients, banging on the car windows and scouring the tents. It was the day after a winter storm hit the city, and many of the homeless people that Feldman usually attends had moved in search of a dry place. Feldman runs the street medicine team at USC's Keck Medical School, where he provides primary care to thousands of homeless people …
Trump's new Medicaid work mandate could leave thousands of homeless Californians uninsured
California street doctors warn that new federal Medi-Cal rules put many unhoused people at risk of losing health coverage. The law starts in 2027 and adds an 80-hour monthly work rule for many adults. It also forces eligibility checks every six months.
Associated Press News
Trump’s Medicaid work mandate could kick thousands of homeless Californians off coverage
On a brisk January morning, physician assistant Brett Feldman searched the streets of Los Angeles for patients, knocking on car windows and peering into tents.
Medi-Cal changes threaten health care for L.A.'s homeless
By Kristen Hwang Dr. Matthew Beare examines a patient’s foot at a meeting area near the Kern River on March 16, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local On a brisk January morning, physician assistant Brett Feldman searched the streets of Los Angeles for patients, knocking on car windows and peering into tents. It was the day after a winter storm had doused the city, and many of the unhoused people Feldman usually treats had …
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