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The Qualifications for Medicaid in California

Health care and insurance can be expensive. For some people, such as the elderly, immigrants, the disabled or those with low incomes, multiple children, expensive medical bills or long-term medical conditions, the costs of these items can sky rocket. This is why the federal government created the Medicaid system---to assist the disadvantaged with the high prices of medical care. In California, the system is referred to as Medi-Cal, a system that pays out $1 for every $6 spend on health care every year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

  1. Immigrants

    • Immigrants can receive Medi-Cal benefits if they are considered "qualified immigrants." According to the California Immigrant Lawyer Blog, qualified immigrants are either legal permanent residents or are allowed to remain in the country because they are refugees, asylum seekers, trafficking victims, battered spouses or children awaiting permanent resident approval.

    Children

    • Children qualify for Medi-Cal based on their parent's income. The parent's annual household income is compared against the federal poverty level, though the child's age is also taken into consideration. Households with children younger than one can earn 200 percent of the federal poverty level and qualify for Medi-Cal coverage. Families with kids aged one to five can only earn 133 percent of the federal poverty level; families with kids aged six to 19 cannot earn more than 100 percent of the federal poverty level to have these children qualify for coverage.

    Adults

    • Pregnant women can earn up to twice as much as the federal poverty level, while any parent can qualify for Medi-Cal if he earns up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level. Adults without kids can qualify for Medi-Cal, though the coverage is usually limited and does not typically include Medi-Cal's acute and long-term care benefits.

    Elderly Individuals

    • According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the easiest way for an elderly person to qualify for Medi-Cal is for the person to qualify for federal Supplemental Security Income cash assistance program for the aged. Elderly automatically qualify for this assistance program once they reach age 65.

    The Disabled and the "Medically Needy"

    • Like the elderly, individuals with disabilities will be able to qualify for Medi-Cal if they qualify for federal Supplemental Security Income. Qualifications include disabilities such as partial or full blindness or, according to the Social Security Administration, any medical condition that prevents an individual from working for more than one year or will result in that individual's death. Individuals who make more money than the Medi-Cal requirements allow may still qualify for coverage if they are deemed "medically needy." These individuals are considered on a case by case basis, depending on how much money they must spend on their medical conditions and how much money they make.

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