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

Recursos para Ayudar con la Interpretación de la Regla de Carga Pública

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.