If you live in California, you may have heard people use the terms “Medicaid” and “Medi-Cal” interchangeably. It may sound confusing, especially if you are exploring healthcare options. But are these two different programs?
Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program—California’s name for and administration of Medicaid under federal rules. It’s the same federal Medicaid program, but each state runs its own version.
A different name in California
Medicaid is a joint federal-state public health insurance program. The federal government sets baseline rules and shares funding, and states administer their own Medicaid programs within those rules.
The federal government may set broad guidelines and provide a part of the funding. However, each state oversees its own version of the program. In California, the state branded its version as Medi-Cal, combining the words “Medicaid” and “California”.
Names in other states
California is not the only state that gave its Medicaid program a local name. While many states simply stick with the name Medicaid, others use a rebrand to sound more local or descriptive. Here are a few examples:
- Washington: Known as Apple Health, after the state’s famous crop
- Wisconsin: Called BadgerCare Plus, reflecting the state’s mascot
- Massachusetts: Known in the state as MassHealth
- Tennessee: Called TennCare by locals
- Arizona: Uses the unique acronym AHCCCS (pronounced “access”), which stands for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
California was one of the first states to jump on the branding trend. The state launched the Medi-Cal name in 1966, just months after the federal government signed Medicaid into law.
One program, fifty versions
While the name “Medi-Cal” makes it sound unique to California, it is helpful to think of Medicaid as a federal “recipe” that each state seasons to its own liking.
States can choose program names and have flexibility in designing and administering Medicaid within federal requirements. Coverage, eligibility details, and delivery systems can differ, even though all operate under the federal Medicaid framework and funding rules.
It is Medicaid but with a local twist. A person moving from Tennessee’s TennCare to California’s Medi-Cal might notice different paperwork or local office names, even though they are still technically using the same federal insurance system.
No matter what a state chooses to call it, the core mission remains the same: ensuring that eligible residents have access to the essential healthcare services they need.