Key facts at a glance
- Pregnant women eligible up to 213% FPL ($55,000 for a family of three in 2025).
- Children 0-5 eligible up to 266% FPL ($68,680 for a family of three).
- Expansion adults eligible up to 138% FPL ($35,630 for a family of three).
- Doula reimbursement: $1,724 per full perinatal package.
- Postpartum Medicaid extended to 12 months (effective 2022-04-01).
California Medicaid, topic by topic
Eligibility
Income limits & who qualifies
Medi-Cal covers pregnant women up to 213% of the federal poverty line, $55,000 annual income for a family of three in 2025.
How to apply
How to apply step by step
Apply online at https://www.coveredca.com/ or by phone at 1-800-541-5555. Federal law requires a 45-day decision on non-disability applicat…
Doula coverage
Doula coverage details
Medi-Cal covers doula services at up to $1,724 per full perinatal package, effective 2023-01-01.
Postpartum extension
12-month postpartum status
Medi-Cal extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months, effective 2022-04-01.
Pregnant women
Pregnancy coverage in full
Medi-Cal covers pregnancy-related care up to 213% of the federal poverty line, about $55,000 annual income for a family of three in 2025, i…
Renewal
Annual renewal & unwinding
Medi-Cal redetermines eligibility at least once every 12 months under 42 CFR 435.916. During the 2023+ unwinding, roughly 69% of disenrollm…
For Black families
Roughly 795,000 Black residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal, per the most recent CMS T-MSIS analytic file. The number understates true eligibility: every state has Black eligibles who aren't currently enrolled, usually because of the administrative-churn rates that rose sharply during the 2023 unwinding.
California added the doula benefit under SB 65 (Skinner, 2021), with reimbursement that rose to $1,724 per full perinatal package in 2023. Black Women for Wellness and the SisterWeb Community Doula Network supported implementation.
For enrollment help: look for your state's Navigator program (federally funded under the ACA), a Federally Qualified Health Center in your county (every FQHC has certified application counselors on staff), or one of the named community organizations below. Our FQHC directory filters to this state at /clinics/ca/.
More on California from Black Health
FQHCs
Federally Qualified Health Centers in California
Sliding-scale clinics that take Medicaid + help with applications.
Providers
Providers who accept Medicaid in California
Filter our directory to California by specialty.
Health data
Black Health outcomes in California
Maternal mortality, life expectancy, uninsured rate by race.
Sickle cell
Medicaid gene-therapy coverage in California
Does California Medicaid cover Casgevy + Lyfgenia? SCDAA chapter, comprehensive centers.
Hospitals
Safety-net hospitals in California
CMS ratings, Medicaid-accepting hospitals, and which facilities anchor care for Black patients.
Tool
Medicaid eligibility pre-check for California
Household size and income, in about a minute. Direct link to California’s apply portal.
WIC
WIC in California
Adjunctive WIC eligibility for everyone on Medi-Cal, monthly food package + Cash-Value Benefit.
SNAP
SNAP (food stamps) in California
Federal food assistance: FY 2025 max benefits, ABAWD rules, application URL for California.
TANF
TANF cash assistance in California
California’s maximum monthly TANF cash benefit, time limits, and how to apply.
Data sources
- Medi-Cal — state Medicaid portal.
- KFF State Health Facts, Medicaid income eligibility + expansion + enrollment tables (kff.org/statedata).
- National Health Law Program doula Medicaid project (healthlaw.org/doulamedicaidproject).
- March of Dimes Report Card, 12-month postpartum extension tracker (marchofdimes.org/report-card).
- CMS T-MSIS Analytic Files, Medicaid enrollment by race and ethnicity (medicaid.gov/dq-atlas).
- HHS Poverty Guidelines, 2025 Federal Register release.
Data refreshed:
If you have Medicaid, the coverage on this page is the route to use first: it costs you nothing and it is what these programs exist for. If you are not covered yet, there is still a free option. Our directory of free and charitable clinics lists verified centers by state. The option below is self-pay and is not billed to Medicaid. It is here for readers who are between coverage or who prefer to pay out of pocket:
Affiliate