The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires individuals to have health coverage that meets a minimum standard, Medi-Cal is one of the programs that can meet this requirement.  Medi-Cal is California’s public health insurance program that provides needed health care services for low-income individuals, including families with children, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and low-income people with specific diseases such as tuberculosis, breast cancer, or HIV/AIDS. CalWORKs participants and Foster Care are automatically eligible for Medi-Cal.  You can read Medi-Cal and Other Low-Income Programs for more information.

Covered California Insurance

If your income is too high to qualify for Medi-Cal  you may qualify for tax credits that are applied immediately to your monthly premium when you enroll in a health plan through Covered California.

Resources to Help with Interpretation of Public Charge Rule

Health Coverage Information for Tax Purposes

IRS Form 1095-B provides information about your health coverage for the tax year.  The California Department of Health Care Services will mail Form 1095-B to Medi-Cal participants by March 2, 2018. Some taxpayers may not receive Form 1095-B by the time they are ready to file their tax returns.  While the information on Form 1095-B may assist in preparing tax returns, taxpayers should not wait for the form.  They should file their returns as they normally would.  Taxpayers are not required to – and should not – attach Form 1095-B to their tax returns.  Free help with filing tax returns is available.

Learn more about IRS Form 1095-B.