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County staff outline how federal HR1 and 2025‑26 California budget could shrink safety‑net programs
Summary
County administrators warned the Solano County Board of Supervisors that recent federal (H.R. 1) and state budget changes could reduce CalFresh and Medi‑Cal eligibility, shift program administrative costs to counties, and create enrollment churn that may leave tens of thousands without coverage statewide.
County officials told the Solano County Board of Supervisors that recent federal legislation (H.R. 1) and provisions in the California 2025–26 budget could materially reduce access to safety‑net programs and increase county administrative costs.
At a briefing, Debbie Monn, assistant county administrator, and Kelly Curtis, assistant director of Health and Social Services, described a range of proposed and enacted changes affecting CalFresh (SNAP) and Medi‑Cal (California’s Medicaid program) and outlined county estimates of local impacts.
Why it matters: The presentation linked federal and state policy changes to potential reductions in food assistance and health coverage, as well as to increased workload and administrative costs for county staff that manage eligibility and enrollment.
Key points presented - CalFresh (SNAP): County staff said Solano currently has about 55,000 people enrolled in CalFresh. H.R. 1 would reinstate stricter work requirements, limit certain utility and internet allowances used to calculate benefits, and change the federal/state/county cost allocation. County staff estimated a potential $2.2–$2.5 million increase in local administrative costs beginning in October 2026 because the federal share of administrative funding is reduced and the county share would rise from 15% to 22.5%. - Medi‑Cal (Medicaid): Staff warned of multiple changes that could reduce eligibility and benefits for the ACA expansion population and some non‑citizen groups. County staff cited a proportional estimate that roughly 33,500 Solano residents could lose Medi‑Cal coverage if the state‑level impacts occur at the scale projected statewide. Staff said the state estimates 3.4 million people could lose Medi‑Cal under some scenarios. - Operational effects: Staff repeatedly emphasized that many impacts depend on federal and state guidance that had not yet been issued. They said county eligibility systems (CalSAWS) and staffing models are not configured for some of the proposed administrative cycles (for instance, twice‑annual redeterminations for certain groups) and that implementation would require system changes and more personnel (staff estimated several additional full‑time equivalents for different programs).
Quotes from staff - “Our total fiscal impacts remain unknown, pending the guidance,” said Debbie Monn, Assistant County Administrator. - Kelly Curtis, Assistant Director of Health and Social Services, said the state estimates 200,000 undocumented‑adult enrollees could lose Medi‑Cal access in the first year of a state implementation and that enrollment freezes and premium changes in state budget language would affect hundreds of thousands statewide.
Board reaction and next steps Supervisors asked staff for regular updates and discussed coordinating with local hospitals and health systems on mitigation strategies; several board members said they wanted follow‑up briefings as guidance becomes available. Staff offered to return with further information and to work with county partners to identify mitigation strategies if the state adopts the projected changes.
Ending County staff concluded by asking for board support to monitor federal and state guidance and to return with further budget and operational estimates as the rules are published.
