Friday, June 5, 2026

Some Medi-Cal Dental Patients in Pasadena Face Coverage Loss on July 1

[Courtesy of L.A. County Department of Public Social Services]

A state budget cut eliminates routine dental benefits for adults without satisfactory immigration status; emergency care will remain

Starting July 1, California will eliminate full-scope dental coverage for Medi-Cal members aged 19 and older who do not meet federal immigration requirements, according to the California Department of Health Care Services.

The cut, enacted as part of the state’s 2025–26 budget, will leave affected adults with coverage only for emergency dental procedures — treatment for severe pain, infections, and extractions. Routine preventive and restorative care will no longer be covered.

The Pasadena Public Health Department and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services have posted notices on social media alerting residents to the change and urging those affected to use their remaining benefits before the deadline.

The change applies to adults classified as having “unsatisfactory immigration status,” a category that includes undocumented individuals, green card holders with fewer than five years of residency, DACA recipients, holders of Temporary Protected Status, asylum applicants with work authorization, and others who do not qualify for federally funded full-scope Medi-Cal, according to the DHCS and AltaMed, the health care organization that now operates Pasadena’s ChapCare clinics.

Several groups are exempt. Children under 19 retain full dental coverage regardless of immigration status, as do adults who are pregnant or within one year postpartum and former foster youth under age 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday, according to the DHCS.

Members who applied for Medi-Cal before January 1, 2026, can use their full dental benefits through June 30, according to the DHCS. On July 1, their coverage status will shift to what the state calls “full-scope Medi-Cal with no dental.” Those enrolled in a Dental Managed Care Plan will be disenrolled.

The dental benefit elimination is estimated to save the state approximately $308 million in the 2026–27 fiscal year and $336 million annually after that, according to the state budget summary. The state signed the budget in June 2025 to address a deficit estimated between $12 billion and $15 billion, according to California Health Advocates.

“Starting July 1, 2026, some Medi-Cal members will stop getting full-scope dental services as part of their coverage due to changes in state law,” the DHCS said in a written statement to the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, as reported by KVPR.

The DHCS began mailing notices to affected members in April 2026, available in 20 languages including Spanish, Armenian, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, according to the agency’s website.

For Pasadena and Altadena residents who need to schedule dental appointments before the deadline, the City of Pasadena Public Health Department maintains a directory of local dental providers that accept Medi-Cal. Those include ChapCare by AltaMed, a federally qualified health center with a dental clinic at 1855 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 100, and the Altadena Dental Center at 2036 Lincoln Avenue, according to the department’s published provider list.

L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated health plan in Los Angeles County, has also published guidance on the changes for its members. The plan serves approximately 2.3 million Medi-Cal patients countywide, according to its CEO, Martha Santana-Chin, as reported by Spectrum News 1.

After July 1, affected members who experience a dental emergency — including severe tooth pain, infections, or a broken tooth — can go to any Medi-Cal dental provider for care, according to the DHCS.

Members can find a provider by calling Medi-Cal Dental at 1-800-322-6384.

The state has not disclosed how many Medi-Cal members in Pasadena or Los Angeles County will lose dental coverage. Health centers do not ask patients about their immigration status and cannot determine from existing records which patients are affected, according to AltaMed’s published FAQ.

If a member’s immigration status changes, they should contact the LA County DPSS at (866) 613-3777 or visit BenefitsCal.com to update their eligibility, according to the county agency’s website. The Pasadena Public Health Department’s Local Oral Health Program can be reached at (626) 744-6097.

The dental coverage cut is one of several changes to Medi-Cal that took effect or will take effect in 2026 and 2027 under combined state and federal actions. Starting October 1, 2026, the federal government will change how it classifies some immigration statuses, and beginning July 1, 2027, some members will be required to pay a $30 monthly premium to keep their full-scope Medi-Cal, according to the DHCS.