County Expands Basic Health Care Coverage For Uninsured/Undocumented Residents

From Contra Costa Health:

Contra Costa Health is now offering affordable health care coverage to uninsured county residents who don’t qualify for Medi-Cal or CoveredCA.

Potentially eligible residents can now call a financial counselor at 1-800-771-4270 to ask about enrolling in Basic Health Care, which offers coverage for primary care, medications, X-rays and more.

While Medi-Cal has expanded to include undocumented residents, some of those residents earn too much money to qualify. And they are not eligible for CoveredCA because they’re undocumented.

“We’re still seeing some people in our community fall through the cracks, unable to get health insurance,” said Gilbert Salinas, chief equity officer for Contra Costa Health (CCH). “Basic Health Care will help fill that gap and give people access to medical care.”

Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors made undocumented residents eligible for Basic Health Care. It’s estimated that more than 10,000 undocumented residents in Contra Costa are eligible for Basic Health Care.

To qualify for Basic Health Care, residents must have incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level. People enrolled in Basic Health Care will pay a sliding-scale quarterly premium depending on their income up to $20 a month. Enrollment in this program will not be considered as part of a public charge test for immigrants.

Basic Health Care enrollees will be able to access care at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and the County’s outpatient health centers.

“By improving access to primary medical services through Basic Health Care, we aim to reduce unnecessary visits to local hospital emergency departments,” Salinas said.

For more information, visit our Basic Health Care webpage.