Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, you get FREE Medi-Cal coverage in California if you were in foster care in any state at age 18 or older.
You qualify if you:
Have more questions? We have answers! Here are answers to common questions you may have about Medi-Cal coverage for former foster youth.
A: The ACA requires states to provide young people under 26 with free health care if they were in foster care at age 18 or older.
BACK TO TOPA: The Medi-Cal program for former foster youth provides you with certain benefits that you may not receive with your current insurance. Some benefits include:
A: The Medi-Cal coverage available to former foster youth includes certain benefits that are not available to people enrolled in Medi-Cal based on their income. For example, if you are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth, you stay covered until your 26th birthday even if your income changes. As a former foster youth, you also have the option to choose fee-for-service coverage. This means you can go to any doctor, dentist, hospital or therapist that takes Medi-Cal, giving you choices about where to go and who to see for your health care.
If you are not in the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth, you can ask the county to move you into this program. You do not need to fill out a new application. Former foster youth should be assigned the ‘4M’ aid code.
BACK TO TOPA: There are two types of Medi-Cal coverage: fee-for-service and managed care. With fee-for-service Medi-Cal coverage, you do not have to sign up for a health plan. This means you can go to any doctor, therapist, hospital, or dentist that accepts Medi-Cal. With managed care Medi-Cal coverage, you must choose a health plan and you can only go to the doctors and providers that are in your health plan.
BACK TO TOPA: Medi-Cal coverage for former foster youth includes the following:
Former foster youth under 21 qualify for some extra benefits and services that youth 21 and older do not receive. For example, former foster youth under 21 receive additional dental services (such as braces) and vision services (such as contact lenses and glasses).
BACK TO TOPA: NO. If you leave foster care at age 18 or older after January 1, 2014, you do not need to reapply for Medi-Cal. You will be automatically moved into the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth when you leave care and will stay covered until age 26.
If you left foster care before January 1, 2014, and do not have Medi-Cal right now, you will need to apply for Medi-Cal. You can apply: (1) online by completing the application on the Covered California website (www.coveredca.com), or (2) through the county using a simple one-page application for former foster youth, called the MC 250A,or by giving your information to the county over the phone. Most counties have a specific phone number, office, or staff to help former foster youth enroll. Click here for info on how to sign up in your county. If you decide to apply online through Covered California you will need to give more information about yourself than you need to give if you apply through the county using the MC 250A form.
BACK TO TOPA: Contact your Medi-Cal worker or county social service office and ask if you are in the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth. Former foster youth should be assigned the ‘4M’ aid code. If you are not in the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth, you can ask the county to move you into this program. Click here for a list of the former foster youth contacts by county.
BACK TO TOPA: No, you do not need to reapply. Be sure to tell your Medi-Cal worker when you move. Your worker will update your address to make sure you do not have any problems seeing a doctor.
BACK TO TOPA: It depends on the rules in the state where you move. States must give Medicaid coverage (called Medi-Cal in California) up to age 26 to young adults who were in foster care in their own state. But as of right now states get to choose whether to cover young adults who were in foster care in another state (starting in 2023, all states will be required to cover young adults who were in foster care in any state). As of June 2018, only 10 states have decided to cover former foster youth from other states. These states have decided to cover out-of-state former foster youth: California, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. If you move to a state that does not give Medicaid to young adults who were in foster care in another state, you may still qualify for Medicaid based on your income or another reason, such as a disability. If you qualify for Medicaid in your new state, you get preventative and emergency care in your new state.
The Juvenile Law Center has state-by-state information about Medicaid coverage for former foster youth and how to sign up. This resource is helpful if you are considering moving outside of California: https://jlc.org/foster-care/medicaid-26-former-foster-youth/medicaid-26-applying-coverage . Have more questions about Medi-Cal for former foster youth and out-of-state coverage? Email [email protected]
BACK TO TOPA: Yes. Young adults who were in foster care at the age of 18 or older are eligible for Medi-Cal until age 26, regardless of immigration status. If you are applying for the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth through the county, make sure to say you are a former foster youth so the county can immediately enroll you in Medi-Cal—your immigration status does not matter and should not delay your enrollment. You can also apply online through Covered California. The online application will ask questions about your immigration status, but you will qualify for coverage as a former foster youth regardless of your answer. Make sure you are enrolled under the 4M aid code.
Because the county will need your citizenship and/or immigration status information for their records, they may ask you to complete a Statement of Citizenship, Alienage, and Immigration Status form (called the MC 13) if they did not already have this information. You can view the MC 13 form here. If the MC 13 is needed, the county should help you complete it. The county must immediately enroll you in the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth even while they are waiting for the MC 13 form. Completion of the MC 13 is for record-keeping purposes and does not affect your eligibility for Medi-Cal until age 26.
You may also qualify for Medi-Cal coverage up to age 26 regardless of immigration status even if you were not in foster care at age 18 or older. To learn more about Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented young adults who do not qualify for the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth, click here.
BACK TO TOPA: You have two options.
Option 1: If you are temporarily moving to another state, you can choose to keep your Medi-Cal coverage. You must let your Medi-Cal worker know that you plan to come back to California. Medi-Cal coverage will only cover emergency services while you are in another state. When you are in California, for example during a school break, your Medi-Cal will cover preventative and emergency care.
Option 2: You can discontinue your Medi-Cal and apply for Medicaid in your new state. You will need to check the Medicaid rules in your new state to see if you qualify for Medicaid there. States must give Medicaid coverage (called Medi-Cal in California) up to age 26 to young adults who were in foster care in their own state. As of 2023, all states will be required to give Medicaid up to age 26 to young adults who were in foster care in their own state. But until then, it’s up to each state to decide whether to cover former foster youth from other states. As of June 2018, these 10 states have decided to cover out-of-state former foster youth: California, Delaware,Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
If you move to a state that does not give Medicaid to former foster youth from another state, you may still qualify for Medicaid based on income or another reason. If you qualify for Medicaid in your new state, you get preventative and emergency care in your new state.
The Juvenile Law Center has information on how to apply for Medicaid coverage for former foster youth in other states. This resource is helpful if you are considering moving outside of California: https://jlc.org/foster-care/medicaid-26-former-foster-youth/medicaid-26-applying-coverage . Have more questions about Medi-Cal for former foster youth and out-of-state coverage? Email [email protected]
BACK TO TOPA: NO. You can continue to use the same Medi-Cal card (called a Benefits Identification Card or BIC) that you had while in foster care. If you lost or can’t find your card, you can ask the county to give you a new one.
BACK TO TOPA: The Foster Care Ombudsman can look up whether you were in foster care in California at age 18 or older. Call the Foster Care Ombudsman at 1-877-846-1602 or email: [email protected] to find out if you were in foster care at age 18 or older. The Foster Care Ombudsman’s office can also give you written verification of your time in foster care.
BACK TO TOPA: The Medi-Cal program for former foster youth gives young adults free coverage up to age 26. Before your coverage through the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth can be terminated, the county must check to see if you can still qualify for Medi-Cal under a different program or for other affordable health programs.
There are different ways to qualify for Medi-Cal. If the county cannot determine whether you still qualify for Medi-Cal with the information they have, the county may send you paperwork or ask you for additional information to decide if you qualify for another program. If you are eligible for another program, the county will put you in that program. If the county decides that you are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal, you will get a Notice of Action and information about how to appeal if you disagree with the decision.
BACK TO TOPA: NO. As a former foster youth, you are eligible for free Medi-Cal coverage no matter how much money you make. When you go to sign up, be sure to say you were in foster care at age 18 or older.
BACK TO TOPA: YES. It doesn’t matter which state you were in foster care. If you were in foster care in ANY state at age 18 or older, currently live in California, and are younger than 26, then you qualify for free Medi-Cal coverage.
BACK TO TOPA: Youth in foster care live in lots of different types of placements. If you were in foster care at age 18 or older, you qualify for Medi-Cal coverage regardless of what type of placement you lived in. Probation youth who were in foster care at age 18 or older also qualify for this coverage. If you aren’t sure if you were in foster care at 18 or older, don’t worry you can still fill out the one-page application for former foster youth. The county where you apply for coverage will verify that you were in foster care at age 18 or older.
BACK TO TOPA: YES, probation youth who were in foster care at age 18 qualify for this coverage.
BACK TO TOPA: If your foster care case was still open at age 18 or older, you can still qualify for this coverage. For information on how you can sign up in your county, click here.
BACK TO TOPA: NO. The Medi-Cal program for former foster youth only covers young people who were in foster care at age 18 or older. But your husband or wife may qualify for Medi-Cal on another basis (for example, based on income or due to a disability). When you go to sign up for coverage for yourself, you can ask about health care options for your family. As a former foster youth, you can skip questions about your income on any applications that you fill out. This is because you qualify for Medi-Cal benefits regardless of income. But if you are applying for coverage for your spouse, you should answer income questions in order to determine if your spouse qualifies for coverage based on your family’s income.
BACK TO TOPA: NO. Your children do not automatically qualify for Medi-Cal coverage because you are a former foster youth. But your children may qualify for Medi-Cal coverage based on other reasons (for example, based on your income or due to a disability). When you go to sign up for Medi-Cal coverage for yourself, you should also ask about and apply for health insurance for your children. As a former foster youth, you can skip questions about your income on any applications that you fill out. This is because you qualify for Medi-Cal benefits regardless of income. But if you are applying for coverage for your children, you should answer income questions in order to determine if your children qualify for coverage based on your family’s income.
BACK TO TOPA: If you were in foster care at age 18 or older, you qualify for this coverage through the month of your 26th birthday. You can sign up now and receive free coverage until you turn 26. You will remain covered through the end of the month in which you turn 26. For example, if you turn 26 on March 10th, you will remain covered until March 31st.
BACK TO TOPA: This is not a problem. You can apply for coverage in the county where you live currently.
BACK TO TOPA: YES, you can sign up for the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth even if you already have health insurance.
BACK TO TOPA: NO. You do not need to provide any written documentation that you were in foster care at age 18 or older. But you must answer “YES” when asked if you were in foster care at age 18 or older. If you were in foster care in another state at age 18 or older, be sure to say which state you were in foster care. The county where you apply for coverage will verify that you were in foster care at age 18.
BACK TO TOPA: Visit our “How to Sign Up” page.
BACK TO TOPA: YES, you can apply for coverage using a one-page application for former foster youth (called the MC 250A).
You can use this form if you apply through the county directly. If you apply for coverage online or through Covered California you will need to give more information about yourself than you need to give if you apply through the county using the MC 250A form.
BACK TO TOPA: YES, you can skip income and tax questions because you qualify for free Medi-Cal coverage regardless of how much money you make. But you will need to answer these questions if you are also applying for coverage for a family member, such as a child or spouse. Your child and spouse are not automatically eligible for Medi-Cal coverage based on your former foster youth status, but they may qualify for benefits based on your family’s income or other reasons (for example, due to a disability or a pregnancy).
BACK TO TOPA: YES, you can sign up directly through your local Medi-Cal office using a simple, one-page application for former foster youth (called the MC 250A). Bring this form with you when you go to sign up or ask for it when you go to your Medi-Cal office. Here are a few tips about signing up through your county Medi-Cal office:
Click here for info and tips on what to say or do if a county worker doesn’t know about this Medi-Cal program or if you think the worker is giving you wrong information.
BACK TO TOPA: NO, you do NOT have to apply through Covered California. You can either apply for the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth through the county directly or online through Covered California. The online application includes a question about whether anyone applying for health care was in foster care at age 18 or older. If you answer “yes” to this question, you should immediately be enrolled in the Medi-Cal program for former foster youth. If you are only applying for health care for yourself, the online application will not ask you for your income and tax information once you answer “yes” to the question.
BACK TO TOP