It is becoming a common practice among Medi-Cal certified nursing homes in California to tell current and prospective residents that they have no more Medi-Cal beds, even while they are saving beds for Medicare or private pay residents. The fact is, if a nursing home is certified for Medi-Cal in California, all of their beds are Medi-Cal certified beds. If the facility tells you or your loved one– when Medicare days run out – that they don’t accept Medi-Cal, check to see if they are certified for Medi-Cal. Most – over 80% – of nursing homes in California are certified for Medi-Cal. When they lie to residents and their family members, they are committing Medicaid fraud!

If the facility accepts Medi-Cal and you qualify, the facility will be prohibited from discharging/evicting a resident once the Medi-Cal application has been submitted.
Medi-Cal providers, such as nursing homes, sign provider agreements with the state and federal governments agreeing to abide by all state and federal laws, including a prohibition on

Medi-Cal discrimination. Rampant Medi-Cal discrimination needs to stop. You can file a complaint with the California Department of Public Health, but don’t expect any action, as they have basically ignored this discriminatory practice for years. A better action would be to file a complaint with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights: http://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html

The only way to stop Medi-Cal discrimination is to speak out!.