IndigenousNetwork was able to attend this briefing from American Community Media on Sept 11, 2025. The event brought together officials from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to explain soon-coming changes to Medi-Cal and answer reporters’ questions. At stake are eligibility rules, cost sharing, and a shifting relationship between immigrants, low-income communities, and the state’s health safety net. This is important not only to Native communities but together to our entire nation.
Tyler Sadwith, the newly appointed State Medicaid Director at DHCS, opened the briefing by placing the upcoming changes in a national context. He encouraged reporters to treat the state’s announcements as essential public information: “What matters most is how these changes affect members and what they need to do to stay covered under Medi-Cal.” Sadwith, who previously led behavioral health policy and represented California Medicaid interests before federal agencies, outlined the federal law known as H.R.1—or the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—as triggering new work requirements, more frequent renewals, and modest fees beginning in 2027. He emphasized that core services like emergency care, prenatal care, mental health, and pediatric services will remain free of copayment: “Core services … remain free, and there is no copayment.”
Yingjia Huang, Deputy Director for Health Care Benefits and Eligibility at DHCS, took over to parse which changes stem from state law rather than federal mandates. Huang, who led Medi-Cal eligibility policy through the pandemic and has directed immigration and residency policy in the agency, stressed that many current changes will hit undocumented adults. She noted that beginning January 1, 2026, new full-scope enrollment for undocumented adults aged 19 and older will be paused. For those already enrolled, she said, “they will remain enrolled … as long as they keep renewing their coverage.” By July 1, 2026, routine dental coverage will be eliminated for that same population, with only emergency dental services preserved. Beginning July 1, 2027, a $30 monthly premium will apply for full coverage in certain adults, with a 90-day grace period for missed payments. Huang also explained that the asset limit is returning: “Medi-Cal will again begin looking at assets when we review your eligibility,” though the test will largely affect older adults and people with disabilities.
In the Indigenous news climate, these developments both intersect with existing health equity struggles and point to new battlegrounds (as if we need this). The inclusion of traditional healing under Medi-Cal builds on long demands from tribes for recognition of Indigenous forms of wellness.
The practical takeaway from the briefing was clear to us: members must stay responsive to renewal notices and maintain accurate contact information. We cannot stress this enough.
Huang urged, “keep your mailing address, email and phone number up to date … that’s the most critical,” to ensure people receive required paperwork. Sadwith cautioned that administrative complexity may itself become a risk: “This increases paperwork, and it increases the risk of members losing coverage for administrative and paperwork reasons, even if someone still qualifies.”
In conclusion, the DHCS briefing laid out a recalibration of Medi-Cal that balances political, fiscal, and social pressures. For Indigenous and immigrant communities, the changes mark a moment of transition. The embrace of tribal healing practices suggests one thread of empowerment; the contraction of eligibility and benefits for undocumented residents suggests another. How this policy shift will play out in practice remains to be seen. In the meantime, advocates should watch closely for how notice systems, exemptions, and community outreach are deployed, especially in words and systems that may obscure who is at risk of losing coverage.
Here are some very helpful links to check out:
● Medi-Cal changes (what Medi-cal Members need to know):
https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/medi-cal-
changes.aspx
o This has been translated to all threshold languages, use web page tool in the
upper right under “translate”
● Immigration Status and Medi-Cal Eligibility: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Medi-
Cal/Pages/immigration-status-categories.aspx
o This has been translated to all threshold languages, use web page tool in the
upper right under “translate”
● Statement from the Department of Health Care Services on the federal use of
Medi-Cal data and member privacy:
https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/publications/oc/Pages/2025/25-20-
Statement-Federal-Use-Medi-Cal-Data-6-13-25.aspx
● Medi-Cal Immigrant Eligibility FAQs: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Medi-
Cal/Pages/immigration-status-categories.aspx
● Navigating Federal Cuts to Health and Human Services in California: A
Presentation with CalHHS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPgC0d_EqUo
