On Tuesday afternoon, Promotoras and Community Health Workers gathered in Bakersfield to discuss healthcare plans available to the community and the latest changes imposed by the federal government on Medi-Cal. The event was organized and held by BHC-Kern in Spanish, with interpretation provided.
As President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill, many programs are facing drastic cuts and having their funds either suspended or eliminated. Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act are programs that many Americans rely on for their healthcare; however, these programs are being targeted by policy changes.
Noe Paramo, with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, began the symposium with a brief introduction to what the Medical programs actually are and what they do. In California, Medi-Cal serves as the Medicaid program. The healthcare service is in place to help low-income families and individuals across the state to afford health insurance and plans.
Paramo’s presentation educated attendees on how these changes to Medi-Cal will impact many communities. His presentation also revealed that before these cuts were made at the federal level years ago, many across the state, such as health care workers and attorneys, worked diligently to expand these services for undocumented individuals.
“[We first worked to provide these services]for undocumented children, 18 years and under, then senior residents, then we moved to help young adults,19-25 years old. But just last year, we were able to help those between 26 to 49 years. This happened last year, in January of 2024. But today, unfortunately, instead of moving forward and progressing, we are moving backwards,” explained Paramo.
In Kern County, about 53% of residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal, and approximately 48,621 farmworkers in the county are receiving Medi-Cal. Over the past three months, community members and local organizers gathered together to protest against the elimination of healthcare initiatives and David Valadao’s position in supporting the cuts that would be pivotal to his constituents.
Paramo noted during his briefing that if an individual is applying for Medical or SNAP benefits on behalf of their children, providing a social security number is not required, and neither is the parents’ legal status.
He expressed that it is essential for local community health workers to follow Medical guidelines, which state that a renewal application must be submitted before January 1st, 2026. As a result, late applications will lead to the cancellation of health insurance. Regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s access to Medi-Cal recipient data, he encourages individuals to apply since it does not affect the application itself.
Yuriria Lopez, community promotora with Health for Kern, joined Paramo in a discussion to inform other promotoras on how they can engage with community members in need.
Lopez questions Paramo if parents of minors need to provide any documentation, such as social security or legal status documentation, in order to complete the application to hold benefits.
Paramo clarified that, by law, it is not required to provide documentation relating to legal status. However, if individuals are harassed for this information or their SSN, it is encouraged to seek legal advice in order to file a formal complaint.
During the final discussion, a member of the public questioned whether there were specific differences if the applicant was an undocumented pregnant person.
Paramo responded, explaining the legal complexity, which would be that during the full 9-month pregnancy, the mother would have access to healthcare insurance, and for the entire year after the child is born, only if she applied before the deadline. Late applications may be expected with the request for emergency Medi-Cal.
