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SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Although Medi-Cal fully covers routine eye exams, dental cleanings, and checkups, many of the nearly 15 million Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal overlook these free services.
Although dental care is key to preventing serious health issues like tooth decay, infections, and vision loss, only one in five adults on Medi-Cal — California’s version of Medicaid — use their dental benefits each year.
As routine eye care can prevent issues well beyond vision including diabetes, hypertension and neurological disorders, Medi-Cal coordinates this often-overlooked benefit with other services: “For an unhoused member with diabetic retinopathy, for example, blood sugar management, transportation to appointments and housing stability alongside eye care,” said Donny Shiu, vision program chief at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), at an American Community Media briefing.
Full Medi-Cal members can get eyeglasses and a free routine eye exam — including screening for conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and irregular eye pressure — every 24 months.
“Of all the orders that come in, we fulfill every single one,” said Shiu. “If you’re a Medi-Cal member with full benefits, you are entitled to vision benefits … All you have to do is ask.”
Roughly one million eyeglasses are distributed through Medi-Cal every year, with orders shipped in an average of under 2 weeks.
“One very unique coverage that we do is artificial replacement eyes for people who lost their eye, whether it be disease or injury,” Shiu added. “We also cover special lenses. For example, somebody unable to wear glasses due to missing an ear can get medically necessary contact lenses.”
Members can access these services by finding a vision provider directly through their health plan, with no referral required.
Full members also qualify for dental care, said Dana Durham, DHCS dental division chief: “A Medi-Cal member should never be paying for dental care … If something is medically necessary and appropriate, Medi-Cal will cover that.”
Dental services covered include diagnostic and preventive services such as examinations, x-rays, and teeth cleanings; emergency procedures for pain control; tooth extractions; fillings; root canal treatments; crowns; scaling and root planing; periodontal maintenance; and complete and partial dentures.
As of July 1, 2026, however, non-pregnant adults aged 19 and older who are undocumented immigrants, have had a green card for less than five years, or are Permanently Residing Under Color of Law will not qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal, but only for emergency dental care.
Income-eligible youth under 19 will continue to be eligible for full dental benefits regardless of immigration status, as will pregnant adults up to a year after giving birth.
A full list of eligible and non-eligible immigration statuses is available through DHCS here.
“Oral health really is tied to overall health. For example, bleeding gums are sometimes an indication that you might have diabetes or be headed towards diabetes,” said Durham. “These services really are meant to help prevent pain and avoid costly emergencies.”
To find a provider, members can use the DHCS Find-A-Dentist tool or use dental directories through Smile California.
For both dental and vision care, “prevention is key, and it starts in childhood,” said Eileen Espejo, senior managing health director at Children Now, a statewide children’s advocacy nonprofit. “Please, please, make sure that you’re taking your child for regular dental and vision checkups.”
“Oral health alone has cascading effects on a child’s social health, mental health, their physical health,” she explained. “If a child has tooth pain, that can lead to difficulties in sleeping, in eating, in talking and speaking. It can lead to difficulties in concentrating, say, on a school lesson.”
The Healthy Schools Campaign finds that in the U.S., “children ages five to 17 miss nearly two million school days in a single year due to dental health problems.”
A 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey finds that “More than 1 in 10 children aged 2–5 years had at least one untreated cavity in their baby teeth. By age 6–8 years, it was nearly 1 in 5 children.”
“Similarly to oral health, if a child is not able to see clearly, they’re also more likely to be suffering from social isolation or academic performance issues,” said Espejo.
One in five U.S. preschoolers has vision problems, and by the time they enter grade school, one in four will need corrective lenses.
“We don’t want to wait and see a child in pain from something that’s preventable,” Espejo added, “and the best way to normalize this care is if the parents are going to the dentist or eye doctor too … Good health habits start with the adults.”
The American Community Media originally published this story.
