As 2026 begins, major changes to the health care system are taking effect that will significantly impact immigrant communities in the Bay Area and across California.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers froze new Medi-Cal enrollments, introduced monthly premiums, and eliminated dental benefits for undocumented residents and some lawfully-present immigrants to close a $12 billion budget deficit. The enrollment freeze took effect this month.
At the federal level, president Donald Trump’s 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act or Big Beautiful Bill restricted access to health insurance coverage for some lawfully-present immigrants through Medicaid, Medicare, and the health insurance marketplace. The Trump administration also cut eligibility for food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for immigrants who were previously eligible.
As these changes roll out, experts warn that many immigrants in the Bay Area could face significant barriers to seeing a doctor, a dentist, and accessing food.
Here’s what to know about each policy change:
🔍 Jump to:
Medi-Cal coverage | Asset limits | Dental benefits
Medicare | Marketplace insurance | Food assistance
Medi-Cal coverage
🗓️ Starts Jan. 1, 2026
What’s changing:
- Undocumented adults and some lawfully-present immigrants can no longer newly enroll in full-scope Medi-Cal.
- People already enrolled can keep coverage if they renew after receiving their renewal packet in 2026.
Who’s affected:
- Undocumented immigrants 19 and older
- Asylum applicants
- Immigrants over 20 with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Immigrants over 20 with Deferred Enforced Departure status
- Immigrants over 20 with pending Special Immigrant Juvenile status
- Student and work visa holders over 20
Who’s still covered:
✅ Children
✅ Pregnant people
✅ All immigrants, regardless of age and status, still get emergency, pregnancy-related, and nursing home care
What to do:
✔️ Renew Medi-Cal every year
✔️ Fix renewal issues within 90 days or risk losing coverage permanently
✔️ If you lose Medi-Cal, you may qualify for a health program in your county. Check our resource guide.
Asset limits
🗓️ Starts Jan. 1, 2026
What’s changing:
- Three new groups of people will now need to report their assets to remain eligible for Medi-Cal.
- These assets can include cash, money in a bank account, second vehicles, a home, or land that a person does not live on.
Who’s affected:
- Seniors 65 and older
- People with disabilities
- People who live in a nursing home
What to know:
✅ Your home, one car, retirement savings, and household items DO NOT count as assets
✅ Assets must not exceed $130,000 per individual
✅ You can add $65,000 for every extra person in a household.
✅ You can add a maximum of 10 people.
✅ People who go over the limit are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal
What to do:
✔️ DHCS suggests spending or transferring your assets to stay under the limit. More information here.
Dental benefits
🗓️ Starts July 1, 2026
What’s changing:
- Undocumented adults and some lawfully present immigrants who are enrolled in Medi-Cal will stop receiving non-emergency dental benefits as part of their health benefits.
Who’s affected:
- Undocumented immigrants 19 and older
- Asylum applicants
- Immigrant domestic violence survivor, or parent or child of an immigrant domestic violence survivor who have had non VAWA and who have not met the 5-year waiting period
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients
- Immigrants over 20 with Deferred Enforced Departure status
- Green card holders with permanent residency for less than 5 years
- Immigrants paroled into the U.S. for less than a year
- Immigrants over 20 with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Immigrants over 20 with pending Special Immigrant Juvenile status
- U visa applicants
- Student and work visa holders over 20
Who’s still covered:
✅ All immigrants, regardless of age or status, still get coverage for serious tooth pain, infections, and tooth extractions.
✅ Asylees and refugees
✅ T and U visa holders
✅ Lawful permanent residents who have met the 5-year waiting period
Medicare
🗓️ Started July 4, 2025 for those not enrolled
🗓️ Starts in Jan. 1, 2027 for those already enrolled
What’s changing:
- Some lawfully-present immigrant seniors who are 65 and older and who have been living in the country legally no longer qualify for Medicare, the federally-funded health insurance program.
Who’s affected:
- Immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Refugees and those granted asylum
- Immigrants granted withholding of removal
- Immigrant survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking
- Immigrants granted humanitarian parole.
⛔ Seniors who are already enrolled will lose health coverage in January 2027.
⛔ Undocumented seniors have always been ineligible.
Who will continue to be covered (65 and older):
✅ Lawful permanent residents
✅ Cuban nationals
✅ Haitian nationals
✅ People covered under the Compacts of Free Association, an agreement between the United States and Pacific Island nations.
Marketplace insurance
🗓️ Started Aug. 25, 2025 (for DACA recipients)
🗓️ Starts Jan. 1, 2026 through Jan. 1, 2027
What’s changing:
- Some lawfully-present immigrants no longer qualify for private marketplace insurance plans, which allows people to purchase affordable health insurance, especially those who earn too much to qualify for Medi-Cal.
Who’s affected:
- DACA recipients
- People with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Refugees and asylees
- People granted withholding of removal
- People paroled in the U.S for at least one year
- Survivors of domestic violence with pending or approved application for lawful status under the Violence Against Women Act
- Survivors of trafficking with a pending T visa
- Special Immigrant Juveniles
- U visa holders and applicants
- People who were granted humanitarian parole in the U.S.
- Residents with permanent status for less than 5 years.
- Lawfully-present immigrants, including those in the five-year waiting period, who earn less than 100% of the poverty line.
Who still qualifies for coverage:
✅ Lawful permanent residents
✅ Cuban nationals
✅ Haitian nationals
✅ People covered under the Compacts of Free Association, an agreement between the United States and Pacific Island nations.
Food assistance
🗓️ Started in July 2025 but implementation has been delayed
What’s changing:
- Some lawfully-present immigrants no longer qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), designed to help low-income families purchase nutritious food.
Who’s affected:
- DACA recipients
- People with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Refugees and asylees
- People granted withholding of removal
- People paroled in the U.S for at least one year
- Survivors of domestic violence with pending or approved application for lawful status under the Violence Against Women Act
- Survivors of trafficking with a pending T visa
- Special Immigrant Juveniles
- U visa holders and applicants
- People who were granted humanitarian parole in the U.S.
- Residents with permanent status for less than 5 years.
Who still qualifies for coverage:
✅ Lawful permanent residents
✅ Cuban nationals
✅ Haitian nationals
✅ People covered under the Compacts of Free Association, an agreement between the United States and Pacific Island nations.
What to know:
✔️ Your CalFresh benefits have not been affected by these changes at this time. Consult with your local CalFresh office in the next few months for updates.
