State RegulationsCA specific✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 2/5
Under California's Medi-Cal MAGI eligibility rules, a child under age 19 qualifies for Medi-Cal when household income is at or below:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
California applies a higher Medi-Cal income threshold for children than for adults: a child under 19 is eligible at or below 266% of the federal poverty level under MAGI (modified adjusted gross income) rules, while adults aged 19-64 qualify at the lower 138% FPL standard. The higher child threshold reflects the state's policy of covering minors more generously and reducing gaps in children's health coverage. Keeping the two thresholds separate is a recurring number on the A&H exam, and mixing them up is the most common mistake.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) 138% FPL is the adult (19-64) Medi-Cal threshold, not the children's standard, so this answer transplants the adult number onto children.
- C) 400% FPL is the ceiling for advance premium tax credits through Covered California, unrelated to children's Medi-Cal eligibility, so this mixes two different programs' numbers.
- D) 100% FPL matches no Medi-Cal MAGI threshold; children's coverage extends well above the poverty line to 266%, so this understates the actual limit.
Memory hook
Kids get the higher ladder: 266% for children, 138% for adults, 400% for tax credits. Three rungs, three rules.