California programs that help pay for medical care, medicine, and insurance
California runs more health assistance programs than any other state, and this page explains the major ones in plain language — free coverage through Medi-Cal, reduced-price insurance, cancer screening, HIV medication help, programs for children and seniors, and legal rights that limit what hospitals can charge you. This is a guide to the all of the programs that may help the under or uninsured in California get care.
Most of these programs share one starting point. The enrollment websites check a whole household for all the possible benefits at one time - Medi-Cal, reduced-price insurance, and pregnancy coverage at the same time.
Medi-Cal, the state's biggest source of free coverage
Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program, and most adults age 19 to 64 qualify on income alone, with no asset test for this group. It may pay for a wide range of care, including but not limited to doctor and hospital visits, prescriptions, mental health and substance use treatment, dental and vision care, and rides to appointments. Children qualify at higher family income levels than adults, and a child's immigration status does not affect eligibility.
Older adults and people with disabilities face an asset limit again when they apply or renew. And adults without a qualifying immigration status may still get Medi-Cal that covers emergencies and pregnancy-related care, and people already enrolled keep their coverage as long as they renew on time.
Apply at BenefitsCal.com at https://benefitscal.com/, through CoveredCA.com at https://www.coveredca.com/, by phone at 800-541-5555, or at your county social services office. Workers with disabilities whose earnings are too high for regular Medi-Cal should ask about the state's working disabled program, which uses a much higher income limit.
Seeing a dentist with Medi-Cal
Dental care comes with Medi-Cal automatically — there is no separate application. The Medi-Cal Dental program may pay for exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures, and other services, and it can arrange rides to dental appointments for members who need them. To apply: Call 800-322-6384 to find a dentist who accepts Medi-Cal, or search at https://smilecalifornia.org/. People without Medi-Cal can find low-cost care through the sliding-fee and free dental clinics in California listed on this site.
Covered California: reduced-price insurance and free enrollers
People who earn too much for Medi-Cal can buy a private plan through Covered California, the state's insurance marketplace, where federal and state money lowers the monthly price based on income. Enrollment is now mostly limited to the yearly open enrollment window or after a life event such as losing a job, so apply when a window is open rather than waiting.
Call Covered California at 800-300-1506 or apply at CoveredCA.com, where the same application also checks for Medi-Cal. Certified enrollers and navigators across the state help for free and earn nothing based on what you pick — the "find help" tool on the Covered California site locates one near you.
Your rights on hospital bills under California law
California law requires hospitals to offer free or discounted care to uninsured patients and to insured patients with very high medical costs, when household income is under the limits set by the law. Every hospital must have a written financial assistance policy and tell you about it, and you can apply even after a bill arrives or goes to collections. If a hospital wrongly denies you, the state's Hospital Bill Complaint Program at https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/ reviews those decisions.
Debt collectors pursuing medical bills also face state limits on what they can do. The rules are explained in the guide to medical debt collection laws and protections on this site.
Free legal help when coverage goes wrong
The Health Consumer Alliance gives free legal help to any Californian with a health coverage problem — a denied treatment, a Medi-Cal termination, a bill that insurance should have paid, or medical debt. Advocates work in all languages, there is no income limit, and the service is funded by the state's own health agencies. Call 888-804-3536 and enter your ZIP code to reach the legal aid office for your area, or start at https://healthconsumer.org/.
Medication and premium help for people with HIV
California's AIDS Drug Assistance Program, known as ADAP, may pay for HIV medications and related drug costs for residents whose income falls under its generous limit and whose insurance falls short or does not exist. A companion benefit called OA-HIPP can pay monthly health insurance premiums and certain out-of-pocket costs for ADAP clients, and a separate program covers PrEP medication for people who are HIV-negative and at risk.
Enrollment happens through certified enrollment workers at clinics across the state. Call the ADAP call center at 844-421-7050 on weekdays, or find details on the California Department of Public Health Office of AIDS pages at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/.
Every Woman Counts: cancer screening and a path to treatment
Every Woman Counts pays for mammograms, clinical breast exams, Pap and HPV tests, and follow-up diagnostic services for uninsured and underinsured Californians with limited incomes. Routine breast screening generally starts at 40, cervical screening at 21, and anyone with breast symptoms may qualify for diagnostic services at any age. Call 800-511-2300 — the line answers around the clock in many languages — or use the clinic locator at https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/everywomancounts.
A person diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer can apply to the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program, which provides Medi-Cal coverage during treatment; call 800-824-0088. Coverage scope for some new applicants changed in 2026 based on immigration status, but treatment for the cancer itself remains covered.
Pregnancy coverage at two income levels
Pregnant Californians qualify for Medi-Cal at higher income limits than other adults, regardless of immigration status, with coverage that continues for a year after the baby is born. Providers can also grant same-day temporary Medi-Cal, called presumptive eligibility, so prenatal care starts before the paperwork finishes.
Families whose income is too high for free Medi-Cal have a second option: the Medi-Cal Access Program, or MCAP. MCAP now costs nothing — no premiums, copays, or deductibles — and covers the pregnancy plus a year afterward, with the baby covered for up to two years through its infant program. Call MCAP at 800-433-2611 or read more at mcap.dhcs.ca.gov; the CoveredCA.com application screens for it automatically.
Birth control and reproductive care through Family PACT
Family PACT provides free, confidential family planning to low-income California residents who have no other coverage for it — birth control, exams, pregnancy testing, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Teens can enroll on their own, and no one is told about the care you receive. Sign-up happens on the spot at participating clinics; the provider search at https://familypact.org/ shows locations in your area.
California Children's Services for kids with serious diagnoses
California Children's Services, or CCS, treats children under 21 who have certain serious conditions — a long list that includes cancers, cystic fibrosis, major injuries, heart conditions, and more. The program may pay for specialists, hospital care, surgery, lab work, equipment, and physical and occupational therapy through its Medical Therapy Program, and it follows medically fragile babies after intensive care through a related infant follow-up service. Families apply through their county's CCS office, which every county health department runs; children on Medi-Cal qualify without a separate income test. Start with your county office or the CCS pages at dhcs.ca.gov.
Adults with hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, and other genetic conditions
The Genetically Handicapped Persons Program, or GHPP, covers care for Californians 21 and older who have certain genetic diseases, such as hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and several metabolic conditions. There is no income limit — instead, some members pay a yearly enrollment fee scaled to income, and the fee can be appealed in hardship. Call GHPP at 916-713-8400 to refer yourself or ask about eligibility.
Childhood vaccines at no charge
Through the federal Vaccines for Children program, California children 18 and younger who are uninsured, on Medi-Cal, or American Indian or Alaska Native can get every routinely recommended vaccine at no charge for the vaccine itself, from measles to HPV to the yearly flu shot. Children whose insurance covers only some shots can get the rest at community health centers. Your county health department can point you to a participating provider and often gives the shots directly.
Turning 65 and beyond: Medicare counseling, savings programs, and PACE
Medicare comes with premiums and cost sharing that low-income seniors do not have to bear alone. California's Medicare Savings Programs may pay the Part B premium and, for those with the lowest incomes, deductibles and copays too — apply through your county Medi-Cal office or 800-541-5555. Before choosing or changing any Medicare plan, call HICAP, the state's free Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, at 800-434-0222; its registered counselors sell nothing and can also check whether you qualify for savings programs.
For broader senior needs — long-term care, caregiver support, help at home — the statewide aging line at 800-510-2020 connects you to your local Area Agency on Aging. Seniors frail enough to need nursing home care can sometimes stay home instead through PACE, which bundles medical care and daily support in the regions where it operates; this site's page on the PACE program for care at home explains how it works.
Community clinics in all 58 counties
No application has to finish before you can be treated. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale tied to income and must see patients regardless of insurance or immigration status, and volunteer-run free clinics charge nothing at all. The statewide directory of free and low-cost community clinics in California on this site lists them by area, and the federal locator at https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/ searches by ZIP code. Many clinics handle vision needs too, or you can use the separate guide to free eye exams and glasses in California.
A note about this information: NeedHelpPayingBills.com is not a medical provider and does not offer medical advice. The health care information on this site is provided for informational purposes only, to help people locate assistance programs and understand what may be available to them. Program eligibility rules, income limits, and enrollment periods change regularly — sometimes more than once a year. Always verify current details directly with the program before applying or making any health care decisions.
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