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Senate approves health omnibus AB 116 that includes Medi‑Cal eligibility and immigration‑linked provisions
Summary
The Senate passed AB 116, a health trailer bill that includes changes to Medi‑Cal eligibility, premiums and a phased freeze on enrollment for certain undocumented residents; the bill passed after roll call 25–10.
The California State Senate approved Assembly Bill 116, the health omnibus trailer bill, which contains multiple Medi‑Cal and public‑health provisions, on Friday by recorded vote.
Senator Wiener presented AB 116 as the health trailer implementing elements of the budget package. On the floor, Wiener described components including a freeze on certain medical enrollment for undocumented individuals starting Jan. 1 of the following year with a three‑month grace period for reenrollment, a delayed premium assessment of $30 per member per month for some Medi‑Cal enrollees with unsatisfactory immigration status beginning July 1, 2027, reinstatement of higher asset limits for seniors and persons with disabilities for eligibility, and other reforms to utilization and drug cost controls. The measure also provides $75 million to community‑based organizations to backfill federal HIV prevention program cuts.
Senator Durazo delivered an emotional floor statement opposing elements of the bill that change eligibility for undocumented immigrants, saying that expanding and later rolling back coverage felt like betrayal to people she and others had fought to include in health‑care access. “That joy has turned into pain. That joy has turned into shame and that joy has turned into betrayal,” Durazo said on the floor.
Supporters, including Senator Weber Pearson and the bill’s floor sponsors, said the overall trailer package seeks to protect and shore up health‑care programs in the face of federal funding changes and rising costs. Weber Pearson highlighted reforms aimed at pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and CalRx authority to increase access to lower‑cost drugs, and praised reinstating the $130,000 asset limit for seniors and people with disabilities that had been proposed at much lower levels in earlier executive proposals.
After floor debate, the secretary called the roll. The tally on AB 116 was 25 ayes and 10 noes, and the Senate announced the bill passed.
Why it matters: AB 116 contains provisions that affect Medi‑Cal eligibility rules, potential premiums for certain populations in future years, and implementation authority for prescription drug cost controls. Those changes will be implemented over multiple years and will require administrative rulemaking and county‑level coordination.
Next steps: The bill proceeds as part of the budget package; some provisions phase in years later (for example, the 2027 premium start date) and may be adjusted as final trailer language and implementing regulations are developed.
