Financial Help Changes for Lawfully Present Immigrants in 2027

What Is Changing in 2027?

Under the federal budget law known as H.R. 1, starting with the 2027 plan year, some lawfully present immigrants (LPI) will no longer qualify for federal financial assistance — the premium tax credits (APTC) that lower monthly premiums and the cost-sharing reductions (CSR) that lower deductibles and copays.

Cost-sharing reductions are only available in months with a premium tax credit, so they end together. Covered California will also give California's state subsidy only to the immigrants in the groups that keep federal help.

Two things are important to understand right away:

• You can still enroll. Everyone who is lawfully present remains eligible to enroll in a Covered California health plan for 2027 — the change only removes the federal financial help, not the coverage itself.
• This change does not affect 2026. It does not change plan costs or financial help for the 2026 plan year. Affected consumers can continue using their coverage for doctor visits and other health services all year.

Source: Covered California enrollment data and federal policy briefings, as of mid-2026.

Who Keeps Financial Help in 2027

These immigration groups remain eligible for premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions in 2027:

• Lawful Permanent Residents — green card holders whose Permanent Resident status is approved
• Cuban and Haitian entrants (Covered California says this includes Cubans and Haitians with a range of current or past immigration statuses)
• Migrants from Compact of Free Association (COFA) countries — including Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau

Who Loses Financial Help in 2027

These lawfully present groups will no longer qualify for premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions in 2027 (this is not a complete list):

Green Cards, Renewals & Acceptable Documents

Because financial help in 2027 hinges on approved Permanent Resident status, keeping your documents current in your Covered California application matters more than ever. Acceptable proof of Lawful Permanent Resident status includes:

• A Permanent Resident Card ("green card", Form I-551)
• A temporary I-551 stamp on Form I-94/I-94A or in a foreign passport
• An Arrival/Departure Record (I-94) showing admission as a lawful permanent resident
• A USCIS receipt showing Form I-90 was filed (green card renewal or replacement)

The full list of acceptable documents is on the Covered California immigration documents page.

Medi-Cal Is Changing Too

Some people losing Covered California financial help may wonder about Medi-Cal. California changed its Medi-Cal rules for immigrants in a state law, AB 173, in effect since September 18, 2026 (Welfare and Institutions Code sections 14007.5 and 14007.8). For adults 19 and older who otherwise qualify for Medi-Cal, including its income limits:

• Green card holders who have finished the five-year waiting period (or do not have to wait), Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau keep full-scope Medi-Cal, with no premium.
• Refugees and asylees who do not have a green card, people granted withholding of deportation or removal, humanitarian parolees (allowed into the U.S. for at least one year), and survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking with a pending or approved immigration case (such as a VAWA petition or a T visa) get state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal from October 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. From July 1, 2027, they can get only restricted-scope Medi-Cal (see below), no matter when they enrolled.
• Green card holders in the five-year waiting period, and people permanently residing in the U.S. under color of law (PRUCOL: they live here with the knowledge and permission of the Department of Homeland Security, which does not plan to make them leave) keep state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal. No sooner than July 1, 2027, adults in this group will get only emergency dental care, and those 19 to 59 will have to pay the monthly premium described below. When the five-year wait is over, a green card holder moves to the first group.
• Adults with any other status, including undocumented adults: since January 1, 2026, adults who apply can get only restricted-scope Medi-Cal (the enrollment freeze). Adults who already had full-scope Medi-Cal keep it if they renew on time, and if it ends they have three months to sign up again. No sooner than July 1, 2027, they will get only emergency dental care, and those 19 to 59 will have to pay the monthly premium.

Children under 19, pregnant people (during pregnancy and for one year after) and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday can still get full-scope Medi-Cal, whatever their immigration status. DHCS says young people under 21 who are lawfully residing in the U.S. also keep full-scope Medi-Cal and pay no premium. If you are not sure which group your status is in (for example, Temporary Protected Status or a work or student visa), ask your county Medi-Cal office.

The new monthly premium: no sooner than July 1, 2027, adults 19 to 59 who keep state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal under these rules must pay a monthly premium of $30 to $50 per person. The Governor's May Revision of the 2027-28 state budget will set the amount. People under 19, people over 59, people who are pregnant or within a year after a pregnancy, and people under 26 who were in foster care on their 18th birthday do not pay it. After no more than 90 days without payment, coverage changes to restricted scope.

Sources: Welfare and Institutions Code sections 14007.5 and 14007.8 (linked above); DHCS's Medi-Cal Changes and Immigration Status and Changes to Medi-Cal Eligibility pages.

Public Charge: What Changed on September 18, 2026

Public charge is a test immigration officers use in some cases: it asks whether a person is likely to depend on means-tested public benefits. A new federal rule took effect on September 18, 2026 and rescinded the 2022 rule. It applies when a person asks to be admitted at a U.S. border, airport or other port of entry on or after that day, and to green card (adjustment of status) applications filed on or after that day. U.S. consulates abroad decide visa applications under the State Department's own public charge rules, which this rule did not change.

What Can Be Considered

• When public charge applies, officers can look at means-tested public benefits a person applied for, was approved for or received on or after September 18, 2026. These can include Medi-Cal and the financial help from Covered California (the premium tax credit).
• A plan you pay for yourself, without financial help, is not counted.
• For benefits received before September 18, 2026, officers look only at cash assistance and long-term care in an institution paid for by the government, as under the old rule.
• Using a benefit does not decide a case by itself. Officers must look at the person's whole situation, including age, health, family, income and resources, education and job skills.
• Benefits your children or other family members get are not treated as yours, but officers can consider them when they look at your family's finances.

Who It Does Not Apply To

Public charge does not apply to green card applications based on asylum, refugee status, a U or T visa, a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, the Cuban Adjustment Act or the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act, among others. People who already have a green card are generally not subject to it, except in some cases when they return from a trip abroad. It also does not apply to applications for U.S. citizenship, DACA, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or a work permit, or to requests to extend or change a temporary (nonimmigrant) status, such as a work or student visa, from inside the United States.

What counts is the kind of application, not your status today. If a person with TPS or a pending asylum case later applies for a green card through a family member or a job, public charge can apply to that application, and benefits applied for, approved or received on or after September 18, 2026 can be looked at.

Before You Change Anything

Public charge is an immigration rule, not a rule about who can get benefits: if you qualify for Medi-Cal or financial help, you can still apply for it and use it. Every case is different, and this page is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a qualified immigration attorney before you drop coverage or financial help, or change a family member's benefits. Free immigration legal help: California Department of Social Services, cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/immigration, 916-651-8017.

Sources: the final rule in the Federal Register (91 FR 45324, July 20, 2026); the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part G, chapter 2 (means-tested benefits), chapter 3 (exemptions) and chapter 7 (benefits received before and after September 18, 2026); the CalHHS public charge guide (September 2026, pages 3 and 4); and Covered California's information for immigrants.

What You Can Do Now

1. Keep using your 2026 coverage. This change does not affect your 2026 plan costs or financial help. If you plan to apply for a green card, or to travel abroad and come back on a visa, read the public charge section before you change anything.
2. Update your immigration information. Some consumers currently flagged as losing help simply have outdated or missing documents on file — updating your status and documents in your application may preserve your financial help. (An update can trigger a 2026 eligibility review, but the 2026 result does not determine your 2027 eligibility.)
3. Preview 2027 costs in October. 2027 plan rates appear in the Shop and Compare tool and during renewal starting in October 2026, so you can see your real costs before deciding.
4. Act during open enrollment: November 1, 2026 – January 31, 2027. Review plan choices and lower-cost options. Don't rely on auto-renewal alone, since it uses your most recent information, which may be outdated. If you decide not to keep your plan for 2027, Covered California says to cancel it by December 15, 2026.
5. Know your special enrollment rights. Gaining citizenship or lawful presence is a qualifying life event, and becoming newly eligible or ineligible for financial help also opens a special enrollment period.
6. Talk to a licensed agent — for free. Nearly 90% of the enrollees affected by this change already work with an agent. An agent can review your household's status, help fix document issues, compare 2027 options, and screen you for Medi-Cal — at no cost to you.

Free & Low-Cost Care, Whatever Happens

If costs become a barrier, California has a safety net that serves people regardless of insurance or immigration status:

• Community health centers — care on a sliding scale based on income, including primary care, preventive care, behavioral health, and dental. Use the HRSA Find a Health Center tool to locate one near you.
• Free and charitable clinics — low-cost or no-cost care for people without affordable coverage.
• County healthcare programs — many counties run programs for residents without affordable insurance; contact your county for options.
• Medi-Cal Access Program (pregnancy coverage) — 800-433-2611
• Family PACT (no-cost family planning and reproductive health) — 916-650-0414
• Every Woman Counts (free breast and cervical cancer screening) — 800-511-2300
• Free immigration legal help: California Department of Social Services, cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/immigration, 916-651-8017
• Health Consumer Alliance (free legal information and referrals about getting health coverage and care): 888-804-3536

Covered California can also help directly at 800-300-1506. Eligibility, services, and costs vary by provider and county — contact programs directly to confirm current details.