1.4M More Now Medi-Cal-Eligible in CA

Just one day after The California State Legislature passed the main budget bill, lawmakers passed a key piece of the ACA on Saturday, expanding Medi-Cal (CA's version of Medicaid) to 1.4 million low-income people.  

Under the ACA, the federal government will fund 100% of states' Medicaid costs until 2016 for all states who choose to expand Medicaid coverage. After 2016, according to the federal medical assistance percentages (FMAPs) in the ACA, federal assistance for state Medicaid programs will begin to phase down to 90% in 2020.  The amount of FMAP a state gets is based upon the state's relative wealth, with lower per capita income states receiving higher FMAPs.

Democrats included a provision in the legislation that allows for future lawmakers to reconsider the expansion if the federal government’s share drops below 70 percent.