Bills would limit coverage terminations, reduce administrative burdens, expand outreach, and prevent cost spikes for low-income Californians
SACRAMENTO, CA — As California grapples with the implementation of H.R. 1 and its sweeping changes to Medicaid, including new work requirements and more frequent renewals, state lawmakers today announced four bills aimed at mitigating the impact to Medi-Cal enrollees and applicants.
The bills—authored by Senator Weber-Pierson and Assemblymembers Bonta, Stefani, and Boerner—will strengthen state safeguards to ensure Californians do not lose access to health care simply because of paperwork, bureaucratic delays, or federal policy decisions designed to restrict coverage and access to care.
Together, the four bills advance a clear message: California will undertake all efforts to protect Californians even while Washington continues to dismantle Medicaid.
A Four-Bill Strategy to Protect Medi-Cal
California’s Medi-Cal program currently provides coverage to nearly 15 million Californians, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and working families. H.R. 1 threatens that coverage by imposing new eligibility restrictions, increased renewal frequency, and burdensome work and reporting requirements that will inevitably push eligible people off health care.
These legislative proposals respond by strengthening state systems, limiting unnecessary terminations, and ensuring Medi-Cal members can stay covered and access affordable health care.
AB 2208 (Stefani): Limited Cost Sharing, Accessibility Improvements, and Retroactive Coverage
This bill caps cost-sharing for Medi-Cal members impacted by H.R. 1 to one cent for all services, protecting families from medical debt and cost-related barriers to care. It also requires user-testing and accessibility improvements for BenefitsCal, CalSAWS, and CalHEERS, including mobile reporting functionality and text message notifications. Finally, the bill preserves three months of state-funded retroactive Medi-Cal coverage, preventing gaps in care created by H.R. 1’s restrictive federal policies.
“As Washington threatens to rip health care away from over three million Californians, our state must act,” said Assemblymember Stefani. “I’m proud to author legislation that ensures that no one has to choose between lifesaving care and crushing medical debt by capping costs for low-income Medi-Cal patients at a penny, protecting retroactive Medi-Cal coverage, and requiring clear communication about benefits. When the federal government turns its back on patients, California will step in to protect them.”
SB 1202 (Weber-Pierson): Medi-Cal Transparency and Outreach
This bill requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to create a public-facing dashboard tracking Medi-Cal enrollment losses resulting from H.R. 1 eligibility changes. It also strengthens outreach requirements for DHCS, counties, and Medi-Cal managed care plans to prevent eligible Californians from losing coverage due to avoidable paperwork barriers.
“H.R. 1 jeopardizes the health care coverage of millions of Medi-Cal members by adding additional paperwork and eligibility requirements,” said Senator Weber-Pierson. “SB 1202 requires an all-hands-on deck approach from the state, counties, and Medi-Cal plans to reach out to these members so they know what they need to do to keep their coverage. SB 1202 also requires the Department of Health Care Services to track who is losing their Medi-Cal as a result of these policies so we can document the harm.”
AB 2161 (Bonta): Protecting Medi-Cal Coverage from H.R. 1’s Disproven Work Requirements
This bill prevents California from amplifying H.R. 1’s harmful work requirements by extending them unnecessarily to state-funded Medi-Cal populations. It minimizes administrative burden by automating verification using available data sources and requires that any federal work requirement implementation be applied in the least harmful way possible for Medi-Cal members.
“Donald Trump is weaponizing work requirements to strip health care from hard working Californians, not to help them find jobs, but to bury them in paperwork until they lose their health care coverage,” said Assemblymember Bonta.
“It’s a cruel trick that serves no one and only burdens families already struggling to get by. California won’t play along. AB 2161 fights back by using data the state already has, cutting the red tape, and keeping families covered. We’re not going to let Californians be casualties in Washington’s war on working people,” Bonta said.
AB 2201 (Boerner): Reducing Administrative Burden of Medi-Cal Renewal Processing
This bill reinstates proven eligibility and renewal strategies to streamline Medi-Cal processing and reduce wrongful terminations. By reducing unnecessary administrative workload, it frees county staff to focus on complex cases and urgent H.R. 1 implementation demands.
“Asm. Boerner is proud to author AB 2201, a bill that will help minimize the negative impacts of the Trump Administration’s attack on Medi-Cal,” said Assemblymember Boerner. “This bill will help to streamline the Medi-Cal verification process, removing administrative barriers that threaten Medi-Cal health coverage. Currently, 14 million Californians rely on Medi-Cal coverage, of which 1.3 million are children. Work requirements for Medi-Cal participation and increased frequency of renewals from annual to every 6 months means county offices will be stretched thin by the sheer volume of additional paperwork and ultimately put Californians at risk of losing access to Medi-Cal. California needs to protect healthcare services, especially for children.”
Added Boerner, “We cannot stand idly by and let the Trump Administration destroy lifeline programs for our most vulnerable population.”
The bills are co-sponsored by Western Center on Law & Poverty, Justice in Aging, the National Health Law Program, and Health Access California, organizations with decades of experience protecting Medi-Cal and advancing equitable health care policy.
“H.R. 1 is a cruel and calculated giveaway to billionaires and corporations—paid for by ripping health care away from low-income Californians,” said Linda Nguy, Associate Director of Policy Advocacy at the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “This isn’t budget policy. It’s a betrayal of what our tax dollars are supposed to do: protect people, keep families healthy, and build strong communities—not bankroll tax breaks for the wealthy. The result will be more uninsured Californians, more medical debt, and deeper health inequities, with immigrant and unhoused communities hit first and hardest. California must act with urgency to defend Medi-Cal, and we’re proud to co-sponsor bills that meet this moment.”
“Medi-Cal remains a lifeline for nearly 15 million Californians,” said Kim Lewis, Managing Director of California Advocacy at the National Health Law Program. “Too many people are struggling to make ends meet and California must do everything in its power to protect and strengthen health coverage for people who depend on it. These bills reflect a responsible way to implement the federal law while protecting access to health care.”
“California must do everything we can to mitigate the harm of the Trump Administration’s H.R. 1 to our state’s health care system. Health consumer advocates are proud to support these critical bills which use innovative approaches to preserve health care access for as many Medi-Cal enrollees as possible,” said Christine Smith, Policy and Legislative Advocate for Health Access California. “Bills like AB 2208 will limit cost-sharing for Medi-Cal enrollees and provide retroactive access to Medi-Cal to ensure continuous coverage, all important steps to keeping Californians covered.”
“With the federal administration eroding Medi-Cal’s role as a social safety net, California can fight to protect coverage for the 15 million Californians that rely on Medi-Cal,” said Tiffany Huyenh-Cho, Director of California Medicare and Medicaid Advocacy. “California has a critical role in reducing the harms of H.R.1 and limiting disruptions to Medi-Cal coverage as much as possible. Justice in Aging is proud to support bills that achieve those goals and defends coverage for all.”
While federal leaders advance policies that threaten to strip health coverage from millions of Americans, California lawmakers are taking proactive steps to protect Medi-Cal and keep families connected to care.
These bills are expected to be heard in policy committees in the coming weeks.
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