{"id":194913,"date":"2026-02-26T15:15:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/194913\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:15:09","slug":"caloptima-reports-steep-membership-drop-as-providers-brace-for-surge-in-uninsured-patients-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/194913\/","title":{"rendered":"CalOptima reports steep membership drop as providers brace for surge in uninsured patients \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

CalOptima, Orange County\u2019s health insurance program for the poor,<\/a> has seen a plunge in membership since summer, which advocates attribute to the effects of the Trump administration\u2019s hardline immigration<\/a> policies and sweeping changes to Medi-Cal.<\/p>\n

More than 26,500 CalOptima members have left since the start of the year, dropping the total enrollment to roughly 822,000 in mid-February, according to data shared by the agency. Some 15,000 people dropped from the health plan just in February.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Families Together OC Medical Clinic is bustling\u00a0with activity as medical assistants see patients at the Tustin office on\u00a0Monday, February 23, 2026. The facility has about 150 clients a day, said Operations Director Christina Kelly. It could see more as enrollment in OC\u2019s public health insurance drops. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Nurse<\/p>\n

Nurse Practioner Theresa Tran talks with a client during a routine visit at Families Together OC Medical Clinic in Tustin on Monday, February 23, 2026. Clinics such as Families Together may see more people coming to them as enrollment in OC\u2019s public health system drops. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Strength<\/p>\n

Strength Coach Chris Henderson works with clients at the Families Together OC Wellness Center in Tustin on
\nMonday, February 23, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Medical<\/p>\n

Medical assistant Kim Oviedo chats with a patient at Families Together OC Medical Clinic in Tustin on Monday, February 23, 2026. As enrollment in OC\u2019s public health insurance drops, clinics such as this could see more people seeking care. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Medical<\/p>\n

Medical assistant Kim Oviedo checks a client\u2019s blood pressure at Families Together OC Medical Clinic in Tustin on Monday, February 23, 2026. As enrollment in OC\u2019s public health insurance drops, clinics such as this could see more people seeking care. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 5<\/p>\n

The Families Together OC Medical Clinic is bustling\u00a0with activity as medical assistants see patients at the Tustin office on\u00a0Monday, February 23, 2026. The facility has about 150 clients a day, said Operations Director Christina Kelly. It could see more as enrollment in OC\u2019s public health insurance drops. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Yunkyung Kim, CalOptima\u2019s chief operating officer, said enrollment numbers are now \u201cfar below\u201d the agency\u2019s projections for the year.<\/p>\n

There has been a consistent decline since July, officials said, when nearly 886,000 people were enrolled with CalOptima, which serves about one-third of the county\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

California had expanded Medi-Cal coverage in 2024 to undocumented adults<\/a>, becoming one of the first states to offer health care to low-income residents regardless of immigration status. An estimated 700,000 people enrolled.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s Medicaid program covers more than 15 million lower-income residents, including 1.7 million undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n

In July, it was reported that the Trump administration<\/a> gave U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents access to the personal data of 79 million people enrolled in Medicaid. The data-sharing agreement, signed between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security, was intended to help the agency track down undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has supported mass deportations of undocumented immigrants as part of his promise to expel violent criminals, better secure the country\u2019s borders and to put Americans first.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince last summer, we\u2019ve heard a lot of anxiety in the community about the impact of data sharing on immigration status and future immigration opportunities,\u201d Kim said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t really surprised when we saw the hesitation to keeping medical insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also affecting enrollment have been cuts to Medi-Cal stemming from Trump\u2019s massive tax and spending bill last year, House Resolution 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. <\/a>And, California\u2019s $321 billion budget for the current fiscal year also established limits for residents without permanent legal status.<\/p>\n

As a result of the funding shortfalls, the state froze new enrollment of undocumented Californian adults ages 19 and older, starting Jan. 1. The 1.6 million undocumented residents currently enrolled in the program were not ejected, but they cannot re-enroll if they lose coverage. After July 1, 2027, they\u2019ll be required to pay $30 a month to maintain full coverage.<\/p>\n

Children 18 and younger and pregnant people can continue to enroll in the program regardless of their immigration status.<\/p>\n

Starting in 2027, individuals between the ages of 19 and 64, regardless of citizenship status, will be required to work or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month to stay enrolled in Medi-Cal.<\/p>\n

Around 3 million Californians are projected to lose Medi-Cal coverage by 2028 as a result of policy changes from HR 1 and the state budget, according to a new report<\/a> from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UC Berkeley Labor Center. Roughly 250,000 Orange County residents are projected to lose coverage in the next two years.<\/p>\n

Kim said the freeze in Medi-Cal eligibility that went into effect Jan. 1 impacted only a small portion of the population. Also, some people had already lost coverage late last year during the annual redetermination process, Kim said, typically due to paperwork issues or life changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, your circumstances change and you don\u2019t need Medi-Cal anymore, and hopefully that means you have another source of coverage,\u201d Kim said. \u201cBut there is anxiety in the community about how future policy decisions will impact families. So we can\u2019t discount that there are some decisions being made at individual or family levels about whether to continue to pursue Medi-Cal coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

CalOptima, in the meantime, has invested significant resources into educating members about the renewal process and onslaught of new requirements, Kim said. The health plan launched a $20 million initiative last October,<\/a> engaging local media outlets, social media, newsletters and community organizations to guide members through the labyrinth of eligibility and enrollment changes to Medi-Cal.<\/p>\n

Those who are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal can look for plans on Covered California, Kim said, which is more affordable than buying health insurance on the open market. Kim said CalOptima is working on bringing a new Covered California plan to Orange County residents next year.<\/p>\n

More people not receiving Medi-Cal coverage means that tens of thousands of residents will likely end up relying on community clinics and emergency room care, advocates say.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunity health centers are often the first place people turn when they lose coverage, and we do anticipate increased demand for services as more patients become uninsured,\u201d said Alexander Rossel, the CEO of Families Together of Orange County<\/a>, which operates two low-cost health clinics in Tustin and Garden Grove.<\/p>\n

An influx in uninsured patients, Rossel said, may force clinics to \u201cmake difficult decisions\u201d about how to allocate available resources, which can affect the clinics\u2019 staffing, appointment availability and range of services that providers can offer. The health center may also need to reassess whether it can maintain wraparound services such as transportation assistance and food pantry support, he said.<\/p>\n

Rossel said access to community-based primary care plays an important role in reducing strain on hospitals and emergency departments across the county. About three-quarters of patients at Families Together rely on Medi-Cal, while 10% are uninsured.\u00a0The clinic does not inquire about the immigration status of patients it serves.<\/p>\n

At AltaMed Health Services, which has clinics throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, about two-thirds of patients rely on Medi-Cal, said Kimberly Graham, director of patient access. The clinics serve undocumented and uninsured patients, who have the option of paying on a sliding scale depending on their income level.<\/p>\n

Graham said AltaMed, like CalOptima, has launched a multimedia campaign to inform community members about the forthcoming Medi-Cal changes so that they don\u2019t lose coverage.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur foot is on the gas as related to patient education,\u201d she said. \u201cWe did a robust marketing campaign via television ads, social media, phone and in-clinic and community events.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CalOptima, Orange County\u2019s health insurance program for the poor, has seen a plunge in membership since summer, which…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,1570,14,1071,23,100,611,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-194913","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anaheim","8":"tag-anaheim","9":"tag-anaheim-headlines","10":"tag-anaheim-news","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-immigration","14":"tag-local-government","15":"tag-local-news","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-orange-county","18":"tag-top-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}