On a sunny Friday afternoon, people line up outside Monterey County's Department of Social Services (DSS) office in Salinas.
Nearby, Outreach Coordinator Brenda Nunez Rodriguez inspects a mobile outreach van as she prepares for an event happening the next day in Soledad, where she and her team will be handing out flyers about the upcoming changes to California's health insurance program.
“ I know right now there's a lot of concern out there for our community in regards to the upcoming Medi-Cal changes,” Rodriguez said.
Medi-Cal was extended to all California residents regardless of immigration status just last year.
But this summer, the state legislature voted to freeze enrollment for undocumented residents aged 19 and older starting in 2026, citing budget shortfalls. Healthcare advocates heavily criticized the move, calling it a blow to California’s large immigrant population.
Rodriguez said this change has also created a lot of fear, confusion and misinformation for people in the county. Plus, some eligible residents are afraid to enroll because of immigration concerns as surveillance and arrests have increased. The Monterey County DSS team has been meeting residents where they feel comfortable, such as clinics and community events.
“We want to make them feel safe and we want them to know we're available for them, to help them, ” said Rodriguez.
Undocumented adult residents still have until Dec. 31 to enroll in Medi-Cal and those already enrolled can apply to re-enroll. But after that, the state’s health insurance won’t be available to them, and they’ll miss out on coverage of routine care and prescriptions, for example. These patients will only get treatment for emergencies and pregnancy-related visits.
In a county meeting in the fall, supervisors approved a $250,000 grant to help the county outreach workers and community partners keep residents informed, and most importantly, get eligible people enrolled in Medi-Cal.
“All we are doing is informing people about what is legally accessible to them,” said Chris Lopez, the current chair of the County Board of Supervisors. “The network that we have supports all residents of Monterey County, regardless of status.”
That support is crucial to social services outreach workers like Lucy Cacares, who said she is seeing more people reach out to apply. “ Most of those questions when we're out there are, 'oh, I forgot to turn in a document. Can I still turn it in? Do I have to reapply?'”
Cacares is seeing more people applying and wants to make sure no one gets left behind. She and other county workers are encouraging people to reach out; those already enrolled in Med-Cal should re-enroll, and those who are eligible to enroll, should not miss the deadline.
“They can apply via mail, through our benefits portal, or our call center phone number,” Cacares said. "Most importantly, they can stop by at any of our branch locations throughout Salinas, Seaside and King City to request an application."
Residents can also fax or call the DSS to get an application mailed to them.
More information is on the county's website.
