Older Adults

 

“Without Medi-Cal, I don't think I would be okay.”

Session Infographic (PDF)

Overview

• Community Partner: Choice in Aging
• Location: Antioch, CA
• Date: January 24, 2024
• Population: Elderly Medi-Cal members

Things We Heard

• Equitable access to care
• Wrap-around services
• Culturally competent care
• CalAIM

Population of Focus

More older adults in California (15 percent) live in poverty than children (13.8 percent) and adults (12.6 percent). In fact, nearly half of all homeless single adults in California are older than age 50. Of those, nearly half had never been homeless before age 50.

Medi-Cal provides comprehensive, quality, and equitable care to low-income Californians older than age 65. As of September 2023, approximately 1,500,000 Californians, representing 10 percent of Medi-Cal members, are older than age 65. Most older Medi-Cal members receive the full range of Medi-Cal benefits, but if both Medicare and Medi-Cal cover a service, Medicare is the primary payer. Even so, older Medi-Cal members have a high rate of chronic conditions and health care utilization. DHCS supports integrated care for members with Medicare and Medi-Cal through Medicare Medi-Cal (Medi-Medi) Plans and other integrated options. These plans coordinate all benefits and services across both programs. For more information, please see the Medi-Medi Plans webpa​ge.​​