California Medicaid Program Overview
Enrollment, funding, and managed care facts for California Medicaid.
Get California's Medicaid Fee Schedule →Enrollment
California Medicaid covered approximately 11.76-14.90M people. Two independent sources give different-period figures for total California Medicaid/CHIP (Medi-Cal) enrollment: KFF's state indicator (11,762,641, May 2026) and CMS's 2024 Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment and Program Characteristics report (14,904,950 total Medicaid enrollees, July 1, 2024). The gap is larger than a same-period rounding difference would explain; consistent with California's large post-pandemic 'unwinding' enrollment decline between mid-2024 and mid-2026, not a data error. Reported as a range rather than a single false-precision number.
Funding & federal match
California has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion, effective 2014-01-01.
For FFY2026 (Oct 1, 2025 - Sep 30, 2026), California's Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is 50%.
Delivery system & managed care
A large share of California Medicaid is delivered through managed care organizations (MCOs) rather than fee-for-service — estimates range from 84.4-96.1% of Medicaid enrollees.
Waivers
California operates Medicaid managed care under the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), a Section 1115 demonstration waiver. Combined Section 1115 demonstration and Section 1915(b) managed care waiver renaming/restructuring California's prior 'Medi-Cal 2020' waiver. Approved December 29, 2021 for a five-year period through December 31, 2026. Funds enhanced care management, community supports (HCBS-like in-lieu-of services), justice-involved reentry initiatives, and health-related social needs (HRSN) services; a December 2024 amendment added CAA-2023 reentry authority and Title XXI HRSN expenditure authority. A renewal proposal was in public comment (Feb-Mar 2026) as of this update.
Has California expanded Medicaid under the ACA?
Yes. California has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. Effective 2014-01-01.
How many people are enrolled in California Medicaid?
Approximately 11.76-14.90M people.
What percentage of the federal Medicaid match does California receive?
50% for FFY2026 (Oct 1, 2025 - Sep 30, 2026) — meaning the federal government pays roughly 50 cents of every California Medicaid dollar, and the state pays the rest.
Is most of California Medicaid delivered through managed care?
Estimates range from 84.4-96.1% of Medicaid enrollees in managed care.
What Medicaid waivers does California operate under?
California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), a Section 1115 demonstration waiver. Combined Section 1115 demonstration and Section 1915(b) managed care waiver renaming/restructuring California's prior 'Medi-Cal 2020' waiver. Approved December 29, 2021 for a five-year period through December 31, 2026. Funds enhanced care management, community supports (HCBS-like in-lieu-of services), justice-involved reentry initiatives, and health-related social needs (HRSN) services; a December 2024 amendment added CAA-2023 reentry authority and Title XXI HRSN expenditure authority. A renewal proposal was in public comment (Feb-Mar 2026) as of this update.
Get California's Free Medicaid Fee Schedule
Request actual California Medicaid reimbursement rates by billing code — free, delivered as a CSV.
Sources
- KFF State Health Facts - Total Monthly Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment
- CMS - Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment and Program Characteristics, 2024
- Federal Register / GPO - Federal Financial Participation in State Assistance Expenditures, FFY2026 FMAP Notice (2024-27910)
- KFF State Health Facts - Federal Matching Rate (FMAP) for Medicaid
- KFF - Status of State Action on the Medicaid Expansion Decision
- healthinsurance.org - Medicaid eligibility and enrollment in California
- MACPAC - MACStats Medicaid and CHIP Data Book, Exhibit 29 (Percentage of Medicaid Enrollees in Managed Care by State, July 1, 2022)
- CMS - Press Release / GovDelivery Bulletin: CMS Announces Extensions to CalAIM to Support Greater Health Equity
- California DHCS - CalAIM Section 1115 Approval Letter and Special Terms and Conditions
Data last verified 2026-09-17. Also see our free Medicaid Fee Schedule tool.