​More than 90 percent of Californians eligible for Medi-Cal are now enrolled in the program. However, 543,000 Californians ages 0-64 were estimated to be eligible for Medi-Cal but uninsured in 2016-2017, most of whom were adults (79 percent were over age 18), according to the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Why are some Californians uninsured in spite of their Medi-Cal eligibility? Examples include:

• Some individuals may not be aware that they are eligible for Medi-Cal or that they can enroll with no monthly premium.
• Others may be uninsured for short periods of time when they are between jobs or experience other changes in life circumstances. More than four out of ten (42 percent) of those eligible for Medi-Cal but uninsured at the time they were surveyed reported that they had insurance for at least part of the past year, according to CHIS 2016-2017.
• Others may encounter difficulties in the application or renewal process.
• Four out of ten uninsured California adults reported to a recent California Health Care Foundation/ Kaiser Family Foundation survey that they were very or somewhat worried that signing up for health insurance would draw attention to their own or a family member’s immigration status.