Medi-Cal Enrollment, 2010-2019

Enrollment in California’s Medicaid program for low-income people (Medi-Cal) grew 78% (5.5 million) between early 2010 and late 2019, and reduced its uninsured rate from 18.5% in 2010 to 7.2% in 2018. Most of the increase was due to the state’s expansion of the program under the federal Affordable Care Act in 2014, accounting for about 3.7 million new enrollees.

Medi-Cal now covers 1 in 3 Californians and 40% of children.

In early 2010, Medi-Cal covered 7.2 million people. Enrollment peaked at 13.7 million in March 2016, and slowly but steadily decreased to 12.8 million people in August 2019, according to the most recent enrollment data from the state Department of Health Care Services. About 4.9 million of them were under age 19.

In 2018, half of enrollees identified as Hispanic, 18% as white, 10% as Asian or Pacific Islander and 8% as black, according to the department.
  

Source: Medi-Cal's Very Big Decade