Get help applying for Medi-Cal — California's Medicaid program for free or low-cost health coverage.
Medi-Cal is California's name for the federal Medicaid program. It provides free or low-cost health, dental, vision, and mental-health coverage to income-eligible Californians, including children, pregnant people, parents, single adults, and people with disabilities. We help you complete and mail California's SAWS-2 (Single Streamlined Application) to the right county human services agency for your address.
Apply for Medi-Cal — $60 Official source: California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — county-administered
See if you qualify for Medi-Cal — California's Medicaid + CHIP program. Free or low-cost health coverage for income-eligible Californians.
Medi-Cal is California's name for the federal Medicaid program. It provides comprehensive health coverage — doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, mental health, dental, and vision — to income-eligible Californians at little or no cost.
Medi-Cal is funded jointly by the federal government and California. Policy is set by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), but applications are processed by your local county human services agency, the same office that handles CalFresh.
Medi-Cal covers far more than basic doctor visits:
Most Medi-Cal members get coverage through a managed-care plan (Anthem, L.A. Care, Kaiser, Health Net, Molina, etc.) — same plan structure as commercial insurance, just no premium.
Eligibility depends on category and income. Monthly income limits (2025, MAGI-based):
Citizenship: US citizens and most lawfully present immigrants qualify. California also covers undocumented residents under 26 and over 50 through state-funded Medi-Cal — a key California-specific expansion not available in most other states.
If your income is under 138% FPL (single adult) or you fit one of the higher-limit categories above, you'll be steered to Medi-Cal. If your income is above the Medi-Cal limit but under 400% FPL, Covered California (the ACA marketplace) offers subsidized commercial plans with premium tax credits.
You apply to both via the same form. The state automatically routes you to whichever program you qualify for. If you're at the Medi-Cal/Covered California cutoff, you may want to apply during a Special Enrollment Period to lock in coverage either way.
You can apply four ways:
Buronia handles option 3: short interview, prefilled SAWS-2 in your language, mailed via USPS Certified Mail to the right county office for your ZIP. You sign on receipt — we don't sign for you.
The official Medi-Cal application is the SAWS-2 Plus (Statewide Automated Welfare System Single Streamlined Application). It's the same form used for CalFresh and CalWORKs — applying for one program automatically lets you apply for the others by checking a box. CDSS publishes printable PDFs at cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/forms-brochures.
The blank form runs ~20 pages and asks for income for everyone in the tax household, citizenship/immigration status, and household composition. Many applicants stall on the immigration questions because the federal categories (LPR, refugee, asylee, T-visa, U-visa, etc.) are confusing. Buronia walks you through each in plain language.
Medi-Cal applications mail to the same county human services agency as CalFresh. Common addresses for the largest CA counties:
Use the estimator above with your ZIP and we'll route to the right office automatically.