California's Health4allkids Law: Implementation And Impact

when did health4allkids become law california

Health4All Kids is a California state law that allows children from low-income families to enroll in Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), regardless of their immigration status. The Health4All Coalition, formed in 2013, advocated for this law to end the unjust exclusion of undocumented immigrants from health coverage. Health4All Kids was implemented in 2016, leading to over 250,000 children enrolling in Medi-Cal and contributing to California's progress toward universal health coverage for all children.

Characteristics Values
Name of Law Health4All Kids
Date of Implementation 2016
Aim To provide full-scope Medi-Cal to all low-income children, regardless of immigration status
Number of Enrolled Children Over 250,000
Percentage of Children Covered in California 98%

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Health4All Kids enrolled over 250,000 children into Medi-Cal

In 2013, the California Immigrant Policy Center and Health Access California formed the Health4All Coalition to advocate for the state to end unjust exclusions based solely on immigration status. The coalition's advocacy resulted in a significant win in 2016 with the implementation of Health4All Kids, which expanded full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to all low-income children in California, regardless of their immigration status.

Health4All Kids has been a remarkable success, enrolling over 250,000 children into Medi-Cal and counting. This achievement is even more noteworthy considering the significant barriers to enrolling these children, including language barriers, fears around disclosing undocumented status, and a complex application process. To address these challenges, organizations like the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) have played a crucial role in raising awareness, providing multilingual and multi-ethnic media campaigns to inform families about the opportunity to enroll in Medi-Cal.

CHCF has also supported county social service agencies, which determine Medi-Cal eligibility, by offering training on important issues such as cultural competency, addressing immigration fears, and coordinating with local community-based organizations. These efforts have been instrumental in helping to maximize enrollment among eligible children. Additionally, CHCF has provided post-enrollment navigation support to help newly enrolled children and their families access the health care services they need.

The success of Health4All Kids has paved the way for further expansions of Medi-Cal coverage in California. In 2020 and 2022, California expanded Medi-Cal eligibility to include undocumented young adults ages 19-25 and older adults age 50 and above, respectively. And in 2024, California made history once again by allowing all income-eligible individuals to access Medi-Cal, regardless of their immigration status, making it the most expansive program for undocumented older adults in the nation.

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Health4All Coalition's advocacy wins

In 2013, the California Immigrant Policy Center and Health Access California formed the Health4All Coalition to advocate for the state to end the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from health coverage. The coalition's advocacy efforts have resulted in significant wins in expanding access to healthcare for California's residents, regardless of their immigration status.

One of their notable achievements is the Health4All Kids initiative, which was implemented in May 2016. This initiative allowed children from low-income households to enroll in Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), regardless of their immigration status. As a result, over 250,000 children gained access to health coverage, contributing to a significant drop in the uninsured rate among noncitizen children in California.

The coalition's efforts also led to subsequent expansions of healthcare coverage. In 2020, California expanded Medi-Cal eligibility to include undocumented young adults ages 19-25. This was followed by another expansion in 2022, which covered older adults aged 50 and above.

Beginning in 2024, California made history by becoming the first state in the nation to offer comprehensive benefits to all income-eligible residents, regardless of their immigration status. This latest expansion ensures that all Californians, including undocumented immigrants, have access to preventative healthcare, advancing health equity and strengthening the state's healthcare system.

The Health4All Coalition's advocacy wins have had a significant impact on the lives of many Californians, especially those from immigrant families. Their efforts continue to champion the human right to healthcare for all residents, regardless of their status, and they remain committed to ending the exclusion of undocumented individuals from accessing essential healthcare services.

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California's Health4All Kids expansion

In May 2016, California passed the Health4All Kids expansion, allowing children from households with qualifying incomes to enrol in Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), regardless of their immigration status. This policy change was the result of years of advocacy by the Health4All Coalition, formed in 2013 to advocate for an end to the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from health coverage.

The Health4All Kids expansion has had a significant impact on the number of children enrolled in Medi-Cal, with over 250,000 children now having access to physical health, mental health, and dental services. This expansion has also led to a dramatic drop in the rate of uninsured residents in California. Before the expansion, about one-third of US children received coverage through Medicaid and CHIP, but undocumented immigrant children were ineligible for public coverage in most states.

The expansion was associated with a significant increase in coverage rates for noncitizen children, with a estimated increase of about 9 and 12 percentage points in any coverage and public coverage, respectively. This translates to a 34% decline in the uninsurance rate relative to the pre-expansion rate among noncitizen children.

The Health4All Coalition has continued its advocacy, and subsequent expansions to include undocumented young adults ages 19-25 and older adults age 50 and above took effect in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Beginning in 2024, California became the first state to offer comprehensive benefits to all income-eligible residents, regardless of immigration status. This expansion ensures that every Californian has access to preventative health care, advancing health equity and strengthening the state's health care system.

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Health4All Kids Act expanded Medi-Cal

The #Health4AllKids Act expanded Medi-Cal to nearly 200,000 California children, regardless of their immigration status. This was made possible by the Health4All Coalition, which was formed in 2013 by the California Immigrant Policy Center and Health Access California. The coalition advocated for the state to end the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from health coverage, which was an issue as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not provide health coverage for undocumented immigrants.

In 2016, California first invested in providing full-scope Medi-Cal to all low-income children, regardless of immigration status ("Health4All Kids"). This was followed by expansions in 2020 and 2022 to include undocumented young adults ages 19-25 and older adults age 50 and above, respectively.

Beginning in 2024, California became the first state in the nation to offer comprehensive benefits to all income-eligible residents, regardless of immigration status. This included allowing all income-eligible individuals to access Medi-Cal, regardless of their immigration status. This expansion is the most comprehensive program for undocumented older adults in the US.

The Health4All Coalition's efforts have resulted in over 250,000 children (and counting) being enrolled in Medi-Cal. The coalition continues to advocate for the inclusion of all Californians in health coverage, regardless of their immigration status.

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Health4All Kids resources

Health4All Kids is a California programme that provides access to quality, affordable health coverage for children from low-income families, regardless of their immigration status. It was signed into law in 2016 by Senator Ricardo Lara as SB 75, also known as the Health4All Kids Act.

Whole Child Equity Partnership (WCEP)

The Children's Partnership (TCP) is a California advocacy organisation that works to advance child health equity through research, policy, and community engagement. They have introduced the Whole Child Equity Partnership, which aims to create a society rooted in racial and economic justice, where all children are embraced, valued, and cared for.

Peer-to-Peer California High School Pilot Demonstration

TCP has partnered with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to administer a $10 million investment in youth mental health and well-being. This will support eight high schools as pilot sites for a student peer-to-peer program.

Hope, Healing and Health Collective

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities, including devastating effects on youth's mental health outcomes. The Hope, Healing and Health Collective addresses these issues.

Let's Talk Webinars

TCP has been partnering with education and community partners to host a series of community forums to address COVID-19 precautions for children, how to talk to kids about the pandemic, and other relevant topics.

ALL IN For Health Back to School Toolkit

This toolkit includes easy-to-use materials for families, as well as tools to help spread the word, such as robocall scripts and sample text for parent newsletters. It aims to ensure that all kids are all in for health coverage.

Health4AllKids Website

The Health4AllKids website (http://health4allkids.org/) serves as a central resource for families and community organisations looking for information about the new benefits under Health4All Kids. The site includes recordings of informational webinars, a toolkit, and updates.

Health4All Coalition

The Health4All Coalition is a partnership between the California Immigrant Policy Center and Health Access California, formed in 2013. The coalition advocates for the state to end unjust and discriminatory exclusions in health coverage based solely on immigration status. Their efforts have resulted in wins such as providing full-scope Medi-Cal to all low-income children, regardless of immigration status, and subsequent expansions to include undocumented young adults.

Frequently asked questions

Health4All Kids is a California state law that expands Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), to cover all children, regardless of their immigration status.

Health4All Kids was signed into law in May 2016.

Health4All Kids led to over 250,000 children being enrolled in Medi-Cal, contributing to California's high rate of children and youth with comprehensive health coverage (98% as of 2024).

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