Medi-Cal

About Medi-Cal

More than 15 million Californians rely on Medi-Cal, the state’s health care coverage safety net, for health insurance. Two-thirds of those on Medi-Cal are people of color and often live in communities with a lack of adequate health care providers. Without significant investments to support providers that deliver health care to California’s most vulnerable, millions living in rural and underserved areas are in jeopardy.

Medi-Cal is California’s version of the federal program known as Medicaid. To learn more about CHA’s work to protect Medicaid, visit our federal resource page.

Federal Medicaid Cuts Will Mean Real Harm to Real People Across California

“The cuts to the Medicaid program will mean real harm to real people in communities large and small across California,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “These are the largest cuts to our health care system ever enacted and are far too deep for hospitals simply to ‘absorb.’” “Hospitals will […]

A New Era of Health Care Is Coming

“I would also say to anybody who’s designed their business model depending on federal government funding: Get a new model.” – Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) 

“People say, ‘Well, my hospital is not doing very well.’ Give me the financial statements. I’ll be glad to go through them.” – Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) 

Senate Passes Landmark Medicaid Cuts, House Poised to Vote Soon

What’s happening: On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed, largely along party lines and with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote, its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) — making even deeper cuts to Medicaid than the House of Representatives’ version that passed just a few weeks ago. California Sens. Adam Schiff (D) and Alex Padilla (D) voted against the legislation.  

Senate Poised to Make Even Deeper Medicaid Cuts

The U.S. Senate has been toiling this week to modify the House of Representatives’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” with different factions in the GOP angling to put their own imprint on President Donald Trump’s signature tax legislation. Each group has its own goals: Moderates want to protect Medicaid beneficiaries; fiscal hawks want deeper cuts; a handful are pushing to eliminate higher state and local tax deductions (SALT) and others are focused on green energy tax credits, increases in defense spending, sparing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and more. 

CHA Comments on IPPS Proposed Rule

What’s happening: CHA submitted comments in response to the federal fiscal year 2026 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule, highlighting the inadequate proposed net payment update.