Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) provides health coverage for people with low incomes throughout the state of California.
People experiencing homelessness are at higher risk of losing their coverage, even if they remain eligible, as a result of
moving across county lines or failing to renew their coverage. The resources provided below can help ensure people who
are unhoused and those who work with them understand and navigate the administrative processes that come into play
when someone needs to renew their coverage or transfer coverage to a new county.
Medi-Cal/Medicaid Renewals
People enrolled in Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) must
renew their coverage on an annual basis.* People
experiencing homelessness are more at risk for losing
coverage during this renewal process, even if they remain
eligible, because renewal packets are mailed to each
member’s last known mailing address.
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Most people experiencing homelessness may not have a
mailing address or it may change frequently so they may
not receive written notice that they need to renew. With
Homebase’s toolkit, YOU CAN HELP ensure people don’t
lose their health coverage as a result of the renewal
process.
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Medi-Cal Renewal Toolkit: Help the People You
Serve Keep Their Medi-Cal (versión en Español –
Botiquín de Información para la Renovación de
Medi-Cal: Ayude a las Personas a las que Atiende
a mantener su Medi-Cal). Updated in August 2025
to reflect the end of waivers put into place in 2023,
this toolkit helps service providers, people who are
unhoused, and health enrollment navigators keep
Medi-Cal members covered.
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National Medicaid Renewal Toolkit for those living
outside California (versions in English & en Español)
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*This requirement will become more frequent when certain provisions
of H.R. 1 (the Reconciliation Bill or so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act)
go into effect in 2026.
Moving with Medi-Cal: Inter-County Transfers
While Medi-Cal is a statewide program, each of the 58
counties separately administers the program for most
residents who live within that county. When someone
enrolled in Medi-Cal moves to a new county within
California and wants their Medi-Cal to continue, they need
to ask for an “inter-county transfer.” The transfer process
can be especially complicated for people experiencing
homelessness.
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These resources, developed by Homebase and The
Western Center on Law and Poverty, aim to help
advocates and providers, especially front-line staff, better
understand these processes to help people keep their
coverage during the inter-county transfer process.
Transfers (March 2025). The full written guide has
detailed information about Medi-Cal’s inter-county
transfer process. Within the Guide we’ve included
sample stories about how people experiencing
homelessness move through the inter-county
transfer process.
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In addition to the full Guide, we also offer two brief
roadmaps (short and simple fact sheets) that
outline the process for Part 1: Reporting a Move
and Part 2: Enrolling in a New Medi-Cal Managed
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Moving with Medi-Cal Webinar (March 2025):
