Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, voiced strong criticism against California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. The program is currently under scrutiny from the Trump administration due to allegations of fraud. During a Tuesday hearing, Kennedy pointed out reports that suggest the program funds exorcisms and other faith-based healing practices.
The financial oversight of Medi-Cal has intensified as California’s Medicaid spending has more than doubled since 2019. It increased from approximately $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion by 2026. Last week, the Trump administration blocked $1.4 billion in federal funds for California’s home health and hospice programs. This action followed findings from Vice President J.D. Vance’s anti-fraud task force which estimated $600 million in potential fraud within the state’s Medicaid system.
During questions directed at Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Kennedy asserted that taxpayer funds were being used to finance exorcisms and spiritual practices commonly associated with the Catholic Church and indigenous traditions.
“California’s got 12% of the population in the last ten years,” Kennedy stated to Blanche. “They’re responsible for half of these new so-called health providers to provide exorcisms and other things. Now, what are we doing about it? Why has this gone on for so long?”
The Wall Street Journal initially reported on California providing Medicaid coverage for exorcisms and spiritual rituals. In 2024, Medi-Cal widened its coverage to include services from traditional healers and natural helpers within tribal communities. These services, funded by taxpayer dollars, include music therapy and spiritual interventions like ceremonies and herbal remedies, as highlighted in a press release by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office.
To be acknowledged by the state as a traditional healer, a person must have served as a spiritual leader within an American Indian tribe for a minimum of two years and must be contracted by an Indian Health Care Provider. The criteria for a natural helper are less strict, potentially including anyone seen as a “trusted” member of an American Indian tribe.
Governor Newsom justified this expansion, stating it aids in “helping heal the historical wounds inflicted on tribes.” He further explained, “Like many of the issues that plague successive generations of Native people, those inequities can be traced back to historical atrocities the U.S. inflicted on tribes across the country.” By enhancing access to traditional medicine and healing, the state aims to foster a healthier future.
The total expenditure by Medi-Cal on services from traditional healers or natural helpers remains undetermined. The California Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital before publication.
Elaine Mallon, a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, covers national politics.
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