Medi-Cal: immigration status.

The federal Medicaid program prohibits payment to a state for medical assistance furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Existing state law extends Medi-Cal eligibility for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits to an individual who does not have satisfactory immigrant status if they are otherwise eligible for those benefits, as specified.

This bill would create the Serving Our Seniors Fund, would make an individual who does not have satisfactory immigrant status ineligible for Medi-Cal benefits, and would transfer funds previously appropriated for the provision of Medi-Cal benefits to those individuals to that fund. The bill would appropriate the moneys in that fund to the State Department of Health Care Services to restore and maintain payments for Medicare Part B premiums for eligible individuals. By making the moneys available without regard to fiscal years, the bill would create a continuous appropriation.