DATA STORY
Medi-Cal Enrollment
Number of Medi-Cal households that received coverage during each month
Measure Description
Medi-Cal is California’s public health insurance program under the federal insurance, Medicaid. It provides free or low-cost health care coverage to low-income individuals.
Medi-Cal Enrollment is a measure of the number of Medi-Cal households that received coverage during the month. This measure is a demand indicator. The San Francisco Human Services Agency administers and tracks Medi-Cal services.
Why this Measure is Important
Reporting on Medi-Cal Enrollment provides the public, elected officials, and City staff with a current snapshot of the demand for San Francisco safety net services.
Medi-Cal provides free or low-cost health care coverage to low-income households including:
- families with children including individuals who are pregnant
- seniors
- persons with disabilities
- children in foster care
- people with certain diseases such as tuberculosis, breast cancer or HIV/AIDS
Medi-Cal pays for medical visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, pregnancy-related treatment, dental and eye care, and other medical services.
Medi-Cal Active Caseload
How Performance is Measured
Medi-Cal Enrollment is calculated using the following methodology:
Number of distinct Medi-Cal cases receiving Medi-Cal coverage through the San Francisco Human Services Agency during the month. Each case is a household.
The number displayed on the scorecard page represents the average of monthly active Medi-Cal cases for each fiscal year.
Data Notes and Sources
Medi-Cal cases are tracked and reported using CalSAWS, an administrative eligibility case management system used statewide. Prior to October 30, 2023, cases were tracked and reported using CalWIN, an administrative database used in 18 California counties before the statewide transition to CalSAWS.
The counts reflect cases whose Medi-Cal eligibility is administered by the San Francisco Human Services Agency. It does not include persons that receive Medi-Cal through SSI receipt and certain persons who receive both Medicare and Medi-Cal jointly, because those cases are administered by the State of California.
Data lag time: Medi-Cal Enrollment is reported with a two-month lag. For example, May’s data will be available in July.
Visit DataSF to access the scorecard data.
Additional Information
- View more resources or enroll in a Medi-Cal healthcare plan by visiting the Human Services Agency website.
- Learn more about enrollment trends in the San Francisco Health Network.
- Find out if you qualify for Medi-Cal and learn more about the program by visiting the San Francisco Human Services Agency website.
City Performance Scorecards
This page is part of the City Performance Scorecards.
Return to the Safety Net Services Scorecard.
Return to the City Performance Scorecards Home Page.