Kennedy Grills Medi-Cal Over $222 Billion Spending and Exorcism Coverage

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 21

John Kennedy used a Senate hearing to press Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over reports that California’s Medi-Cal covers exorcisms and other spiritual healing practices with taxpayer funds.
California’s Medicaid spending has more than doubled since 2019, rising from about $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion in 2026, intensifying scrutiny over how the program is managed.
The questions follow the Trump administration’s suspension of $1.4 billion for California home health and hospice programs after an anti-fraud task force flagged an estimated $600 million in suspected Medicaid fraud.
Medi-Cal expanded coverage in 2024 for tribal traditional healers and natural helpers, including ceremonies, rituals, music therapy and herbal remedies, which Newsom said were meant to address historical harms to Native communities.
California has not disclosed how much Medi-Cal has spent on those services, leaving a key cost question unresolved as federal and congressional scrutiny widens.

Can funding traditional medicine heal historical wounds without deepening California's fiscal crisis?

With fraud concerns rising, how can officials verify spiritual healing for Medicaid reimbursement?

When does a spiritual ritual become a reimbursable medical procedure, and who decides?