About the Commission
Medi-Cal is the cornerstone of California’s health care system, providing vital health coverage to 15 million people — more than one in three Californians. The program is the bedrock of the state’s health care safety net, supporting everything from childbirth and children’s dental visits to behavioral health treatment and nursing home care.
Over 60 years, Medi-Cal has evolved and expanded to meet the changing needs of our state. This growth has also created profound complexity, making it challenging for patients to navigate and for providers to deliver seamless, high-quality care.
With significant fiscal pressures on the horizon, California has a pivotal opportunity and responsibility to modernize the program’s foundations, particularly in its financing and administration.
The Future of Medi-Cal Commission brings together a distinguished group of leaders from across California’s health care landscape to develop a bold, 10-year vision and actionable roadmap for a more effective and sustainable Medi-Cal program. The Commission’s work will culminate in a set of concrete recommendations in early 2027.
Goals of the Commission
The Future of Medi-Cal Commission is committed to building on Medi-Cal’s legacy — focusing on the same goals that have allowed the program to improve the lives of millions of Californians:
- Ensuring comprehensive health care: By providing health, dental, and behavioral health coverage to over one-third of all Californians, Medi-Cal enables low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities to access the care they need to thrive.
- Reducing health disparities: By making quality care accessible to communities that have historically faced the greatest barriers, Medi-Cal fosters healthier lives for all.
- Providing economic stability: By shielding families from devastating medical, behavioral, and long-term care costs, Medi-Cal plays an instrumental role in reducing poverty and medical debt.
- Addressing social needs like housing and healthy food: By providing an array of home and community-based services through programs like CalAIM, Medi-Cal helps Californians maintain housing stability and enables seniors to remain in their homes and communities.
- Filling gaps in coverage: By covering long-term care and essential services, equipment, and supplies for people with disabilities, older adults with low incomes, and children with special health care needs, Medi-Cal addresses critical gaps in private insurance coverage and the federal Medicare program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Future of Medi-Cal Commission?
The Future of Medi-Cal Commission is an independent group of 29 health care leaders working to develop a 10-year vision and actionable roadmap for strengthening California’s Medi-Cal program. The Commission includes two co-chairs and 27 commissioners, a diverse group of experts in state and federal health policy, as well as leaders representing Medi-Cal members, health care providers, managed care plans, health care workers, and community-based organizations. View the full list of Commissioners.
How were Commissioners selected?
Commissioners were selected based on their respective expertise, experience working in communities across California, and commitment to collaborative problem-solving. As a group, commissioners will be focused on identifying ways to strengthen Medi-Cal and improve access to care for the nearly 15 million Californians the program serves.
What are the Commission's goals?
The Commission has come together at a pivotal moment for Medi-Cal. With many members struggling to access the care they need and with the state and Medi-Cal providers facing significant fiscal pressures, the Commission is focused on ensuring this vital program can serve the next generation of Californians.
The Commission will begin meeting in January 2026, with the support of a newly named Advisory Group. Final recommendations will be released by January 2027.
What is the Advisory Group and how were members selected?
The Commission’s Advisory Group is a 50-member body that will be providing additional expertise to support the Commission’s work. Members were selected through a public nomination process in November-December 2025, which generated more than 360 nominations.
The Advisory Group is made up of health policy experts, consumer advocates, representatives from major health care associations, and leaders of community-based organizations from across California. Their role in the next year will be to offer on-the-ground perspective on how Medi-Cal services are provided today, share their expertise on the impacts of potential policy changes, and provide feedback on draft recommendations. View the full list of Advisory Group members.
How will Medi-Cal members have a voice in the Commission's work?
One of the Commission’s core principles is that Medi-Cal policy should be rooted in the perspectives of the millions of Californians who depend on this program for health care and other services. Throughout 2026, the Commission will engage directly with Medi-Cal members, who will have opportunities to:
- Share their experiences with Medi-Cal programs
- Participate in policy deliberations
- Provide feedback on draft recommendations before they are finalized
How can people access Commission meetings and follow the group’s deliberations, will they be livestreamed?
Commission meetings will be held in person and will not be livestreamed. There will be a public session in all of the Commission’s meetings, where commissioners will welcome testimony from members of the public on challenges facing Medi-Cal and what the state’s options are for strengthening the program. Each meeting will also include a closed session for commissioners to deliberate. There will be a report-out on those conversations at the following meeting, and the Commission’s monthly newsletter will also provide regular updates on issues commissioners are debating. The latest information on Commission meetings can be found on the Meetings page.
Is Governor Newsom involved in the Commission?
The Commission is an independent group, though the Newsom Administration is aware of its work and goals. To be successful, the Commission is counting on valuable contributions from the many experts at the California Health and Human Services Agency, the Department of Health Care Services, and other state agencies, along with healthy policy leaders in the state Legislature.
When will the Commission release its recommendations and what will be done with these proposals?
The Commission will finalize concrete recommendations in early 2027. These proposals are designed to serve as a 10-year roadmap for Medi-Cal that can help guide California’s next Governor and future Legislatures as they consider options for sustaining and strengthening the program.
What kind of topics will the Commission be considering, given the threats to the Medi-Cal program and the state’s budget challenges?
At this stage of the Commission’s work, it is not yet clear which priorities commissioners will choose to explore. The Commission will be shaped by the firsthand experience the 29 commissioners have with Medi-Cal programs and providing services to Californians, as well as expertise from the Advisory Group and the personal perspectives of Medi-Cal members.
Together, this group is committed to identifying opportunities, beyond the current budget deficit, that will help make Medi-Cal work better for the Californians who count on this essential program.
Funders
The work of the Future of Medi-Cal Commission is made possible thanks to the generous support from the following organizations:
