‘I’m really scared’: Elderly and disabled Californians with more than $2,000 could lose Medi-Cal

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Cynde Soto, a quadriplegic who requires around-the-clock care, has been on Medi-Cal for most of her life. Recently, she came into a modest inheritance, about $8,000, that has helped cover her daily expenses. But it also means that she would lose her state health insurance under a proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom has proposed restoring a $2,000 limit on an individual’s assets — including savings accounts and property other than a home and a car — and $3,000 for couples to qualify for Medi-Cal. Anyone 65 and older or disabled who exceeds that limit would be ineligible. Newsom also is proposing a cap on how much home care Medi-Cal enrollees like Soto could receive.

In unveiling the proposal, Newsom said that California has a “spending problem” and needs to make “difficult choices” to address the state’s $12 billion deficit, which he attributed in part to growing Medi-Cal costs. His proposal would save the state $94 million this budget year and more than $500 million the next year, according to the governor’s budget document.

But health advocates say that it’s almost impossible for someone to live with just $2,000 in assets in California. Rent often exceeds that amount, and medical expenses not covered by insurance quickly add up.