Effort to find ineligible Medi-Cal recipients worries some

Due to an ailing budget, California officials looking at ways to cut the ranks of Medi-Cal recipients who are no longer eligible for the program that provides critical medical coverage for the poor, elderly and disabled. Advocacy groups, however, worry that requiring recipients to provide more frequent updates on their financial and residential status amounts to a sneaky way to cut benefits for those who are eligible, including children. The proposal calls for four eligibility updates a year for children and adults. Recipients who fail to respond to quarterly queries from the state would be dropped after a warning.