One in three Californians are insured through Medi-Cal — the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents. Yet very few of these patients are able to get care through the University of California’s health systems.
Only a tiny fraction of primary care patients seen at UC clinics have Medi-Cal coverage. In some sites, it’s as little as 1% — even in areas with high numbers of Medi-Cal enrollees. The reason for this lack of access, according to UC administrators, is because state reimbursements for Medi-Cal patients don’t cover the cost of treating them.
It’s even worse for Medi-Cal patients seeking medical specialists, such as neurologists, orthopedic surgeons and cardiologists. Most UC specialty clinics won’t take Medi-Cal at all.
