Visitors to California should be prepared with all the essentials for their trip before they arrive, including California health insurance. This helps to ensure that regardless of what activities they take part in, they’re protected from having to pay out-of-pocket if they need treatment or care from a doctor while they’re away from home.
California is one of the biggest and most impressive states in the United States. In 2021, more than 213 million visitors poured into the state, coming for a variety of leisure, work, and study trips.
Visiting California is the trip of a lifetime for many people. Whether you dream of surfing Redondo Beach, studying at UCLA, or going to work for one of the legendary companies of Silicon Valley, California offers a wealth of unforgettable experiences. The state itself is huge – it’s the largest sub-national economy in the world, and if it were an independent country, it would have the fifth-largest GDP, leading huge countries like India, Canada, and France.
The US Healthcare System Explained
Even though California does like to think of itself as a nation unto itself, it remains part of the United States. That means that people living or visiting there are subject to national laws on healthcare. California residents and newcomers alike should be familiar with the healthcare system that operates there.
In the United States (including California), healthcare is administered through both private and public providers. The federal government provides money to the states, but it’s the individual states themselves that administer local healthcare coverage.
Individuals in California can get health insurance through private and public channels, depending on various factors like their employment, age, and income level. Private and public insurers can determine their own benefits packages and structures, leaving it up to individuals to determine which is the best plan for their needs. Most people in the United States with private healthcare insurance have it through their employer.
Most lower-income and older Americans have health insurance through Medicaid, the national name for the public health insurance plan administered by individual states.
In 2014, the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) opened up more insurance options for Americans, making it easier to obtain affordable health insurance. Now, there are roughly 31.6 million Americans without health insurance, a marked decline from before the passage of the ACA.
Healthcare in California
In California, healthcare is managed through the state Department of Public Health. Most Californians have some form of health insurance, with only about 7.1% of the population remaining uninsured. That’s down 10% compared to before the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
About one-third of Californians obtain their health insurance through Medi-Cal (the state Medicaid program), and one-third have private insurance. Californians purchase ACA-compliant insurance through the state ACA marketplace, Covered California.
Recently, California became the first state to offer state-sponsored healthcare to undocumented immigrant residents. The recent expansion, which passed as part of the 2022-2023 budget allocation, is expected to offer approximately 700,000 undocumented residents living in California health insurance as part of Medi-Cal. This is in addition to undocumented residents younger than 26 or older than 50, who were already eligible for Medi-Cal.
Exploring Health Insurance in California
Before you arrive in the Golden State, you should be prepared to purchase California health insurance. This is true regardless of whether you’re taking a short weekend trip, working on an H1B visa, or plan to be there studying for several years.
Visitors and tourists
Visitors and tourists should always arrive with dedicated travel insurance that includes health insurance coverage for California. The cost of healthcare in this state is very high, and individuals who have not purchased health coverage and have an accident or injury will have to pay out of pocket to access emergency services. Most travel insurance has emergency medical coverage, or you can look for specialized plans if you have a pre-existing condition or other need that must be covered.
Temporary workers (H1B)
If you are arriving in California on an H1B visa or an associated spousal visa (H4), your first point of contact for health insurance should be your employer. Many employers in California offer excellent private health insurance to their employees, and for the most part, H1B workers and their spouses can enroll immediately.
If your workplace does not offer insurance, you may be able to find insurance either through a private company or through the ACA marketplace once you have established your US residency. Short-term private insurance may be a good bet when you’re first getting settled, but following that, buying domestic insurance through the ACA marketplace is essential.
Green card holders
If you’re a green card holder, you would typically follow a similar process as H1B workers. The priority would be obtaining health insurance through work, if possible. Then, once your residency is established, you can enroll in coverage through Covered California, the ACA healthcare marketplace.
It’s often a good idea to purchase private travel health insurance for your first few days or weeks in California, just while you’re getting settled. This ensures you’re protected until you can enroll in domestic health insurance.
International students
Most international students studying in the United States are required by their school to obtain some form of health insurance. Before you arrive, check with your school to see whether they offer a plan that suits your needs. If not, you can purchase international student health insurance from a company like IM Global or GeoBlue.
Getting the Right Health Insurance for California
Traveling to California is exciting, but you should always make sure your health is protected with insurance before you go. This offers peace of mind and helps to ensure you won’t be forced to pay out of pocket if you need to seek medical assistance while you’re away from home.
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