John Kennedy Asked One Question About Medi-Cal That Left California Democrats Speechless

May 25, 2026 Cat2, Politics
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California just doubled its Medicaid spending to $222 billion.

Now we know part of what they bought.

John Kennedy found out – and he wants to know why nobody stopped it.

Kennedy Puts the Number on the Table

During a Senate hearing Tuesday, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy looked at Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and asked the question every taxpayer in America should be demanding an answer to.

"California's got 12% of the population in the last ten years," Kennedy said. "They're responsible for half of these new so-called health providers to provide exorcisms and other things. Now, what the hell are we doing about it? Why has this gone on for so long?"

That's not angry theater.

That's a documented fact.

In 2024, Gavin Newsom's California expanded Medi-Cal coverage to include traditional healers and natural helpers inside tribal communities.

Covered services include music therapy, ceremonies, rituals, herbal remedies – and spiritual interventions.

The Wall Street Journal broke the story.

Newsom's office confirmed it with a press release.

What California Actually Did

To qualify as a traditional healer under Medi-Cal, a person must have served as a spiritual leader within an American Indian tribe for at least two years.

The requirements for a "natural helper" are even looser – essentially anyone considered a "trusted" member of an American Indian tribe can qualify.

Both categories are now billable to Medi-Cal.

California's Department of Health and Human Services did not respond when Fox News asked how much taxpayer money has already gone out the door for these services.

That silence is its own answer.

Meanwhile, Medi-Cal's total spending has exploded from $100.7 billion in 2019 to a projected $222 billion in 2026.

More than double in seven years.

JD Vance's anti-fraud task force already identified $600 million in suspected fraud inside that same system – and the Trump administration suspended $1.4 billion in federal funding for California home health and hospice programs just last week.

Newsom Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

Gavin Newsom didn't hide what he was doing.

He announced it.

"Like many of the issues that plague successive generations of Native people, those inequities can be traced back to the historical atrocities the U.S. inflicted on tribes across the country," Newsom said. "By supporting greater access to traditional medicine and healing, we are taking another step toward a healthier, brighter future."

Notice what's missing from that statement.

Any mention of outcomes. Any reference to medical evidence.

Any explanation of how billing spiritual ceremonies through Medicaid advances public health.

Newsom turned Medi-Cal into a reparations vehicle – and sent the federal government the invoice.

Because Medicaid is a joint federal-state program, California doesn't absorb that cost alone.

You do.

Newsom put his intentions in a press release and dared anyone to object.

Kennedy just did.

The question now is whether Congress forces California to answer – or whether your money keeps flowing west to fund whatever Gavin Newsom decides healing looks like next.

Sources:

  • Elaine Mallon, "Taxpayer spending on 'exorcisms' derails Senate testimony: 'What the hell are we doing about it?'" Fox News, May 21, 2026.
  • "Governor Newsom Expands Medi-Cal Coverage for Traditional Healing Practices," Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, Press Release, 2024.
  • The Wall Street Journal, reporting on Medi-Cal spiritual healing coverage, 2025.