I’ve seen a post like this here on the forum before and it is more than a little bit erroneous. There are a lot of misconceptions floating around about who is eligible for what kind of subsidy. This post presumes that John and Juan are the sole support of their families and continue to be until their kids are of majority (their spouses don’t bring in income or at least any income which is reported to the state).
Erroneous assumptions about John:
John’s MAGI is low enough for him to get Obamacare for he and his spouse for as little as $1 month each and Medi-Cal for both of his kids. Medi-Cal covers the children’s dental and the parents can buy a dental HMO from their exchange carrier for as little as ~$20 month each.
If John’s income is the same or nearly the same when his kid(s) reach the 11th grade, his kids are likely eligible for a Pell Grant and even possibly a Cal Grant to attend University in CA IF they can get accepted.
John’s kids are eligible for a .40 day school lunch (and a .40 breakfast, if offered) at his income level.
Most of the Johns residing in CA with $31-$40K net income per year for a family of 4 only have liability insurance on their (well-used) vehicles … or intermittently lapsing insurance (put in place only for biennial vehicle registration purposes) or none at all (they license the vehicle in MX).
I’m not sure if John’s family qualifies for a Section 8 voucher. If they do, they are borderline qualified and there is a lo-o-o-ong waiting list. In addition, not very many landlords accept them anymore.
Erroneous assumptions about Juan:
Juan’s family is eligible for limited SNAP of $150-$200 mo (fka food stamps). Juan’s family will have to join a food coop (and send an adult to work there 1-2 days month) to get more “free food” in CA. Juan’s kids are eligible for free school lunches (and breakfasts, if offered). Juan will have to present two legitimate forms of “residency” to enroll his kids in public school in CA (utility bills, lease, etc) in his name. Cell phone bills are not allowed.
Juan’s family is not eligible for cash aid in CA.
Juan’s family is not eligible for subsidized rent in CA unless the principal worker in the family is documented (again, long waiting list).
Juan’s family can and does show up in CA hospital emergency rooms where they are round up and questioned by “Medi-Cal specialists” as soon as they are able to hold a conversation. That specialist gets their “story” and the name/identity they are purportedly using (from a fake SS card?) and later indexes it with the SSA, possibly learning that the number was previously issued to an American decedent but by then Juan or his family member has been released and can’t be found. Perhaps it’s not such a good idea anymore for Juan and his family to visit hospital emergency rooms unless one of them is dying. Community Clinics exist in many CA counties to specifically serve this population.
Juan’s kids can only avail themselves of the “Dream Act” (to attend University in CA) IF they have successfully graduated from a CA HS (not sure how many years must be in residency) with the “right” academic record and a GPA and SAT score high enough to be accepted. Juan’s kids are welcome to enroll in a CA CC (space permitting).
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Both John and Juan’s kids qualify for an admission fee waiver to UC/CSU and SAT test fee waiver.
Both John and Juan may qualify for a utility (gas and elec) and landline phone discount IF they are legitimately renting a place in their name. John may qualify for ONE basic cellphone per family (no smartphone – <$20 month service) but he would need to choose between it or a family landline at ~$7 month. He can't have both at a discount.
The rest of the stuff is way out in left field.
