Kennedy says California Medicaid covers exorcisms and tribal rituals

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questioned Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, during a Tuesday hearing. He said the program covers exorcisms and other faith-based healing practices.

Medi-Cal spending has more than doubled since 2019, rising from roughly $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion in 2026. Last week the Trump administration suspended $1.4 billion in federal funding for California home health and hospice programs after Vice President J.D. Vance’s anti-fraud task force found an estimated $600 million in suspected fraud.

Kennedy told Blanche that California has 12 percent of the U.S. population but accounts for half of the new providers offering exorcisms and similar services. He asked what the government was doing about it.

Reports that Medi-Cal covers exorcisms and other spiritual rituals first appeared in The Wall Street Journal. In 2024 the program expanded coverage for traditional healers and natural helpers in tribal communities. Covered services include music therapy, ceremonies, rituals and herbal remedies.

To qualify as a traditional healer, a person must have served as a spiritual leader in an American Indian tribe for at least two years and be contracted by an Indian Health Care Provider. Natural helpers need only be considered a trusted member of a tribe.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the expansion aims to help heal historical wounds inflicted on tribes. It remains unclear how much Medi-Cal has spent on these services. The California Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to questions by the time of publication.