Californias expansive Medicaid program is under fresh fire after revelations that state taxpayers may be footing the bill for exorcisms and other spiritual healing rituals.
During a recent Senate hearing, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana pressed federal officials on reports that Californias Medi-Cal system reimburses providers for exorcisms and similar faith-based practices, a benefit most Americans would never expect to see classified as health care. According to the Gateway Pundit, the controversy erupted as Medi-Cal faces intensifying scrutiny from the Trump administration over widespread fraud concerns and explosive cost growth.
Medi-Cal spending has more than doubled since 2019, surging from roughly $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion by 2026, even as Californias political leadership continues to demand more federal dollars and resist meaningful reform. Just last week, the Trump administration froze $1.4 billion in federal funding for California home health and hospice programs after Vice President JD Vances anti-fraud task force uncovered an estimated $600 million in suspected Medicaid fraud in the state.
Kennedy, questioning acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleged that taxpayer dollars were being used to cover the cost of exorcisms, a religious practice most commonly associated with the Catholic Church, and other indigenous spiritual practices. He underscored the scale of the problem by noting that Californias got 12% of the population in the last 10 years, yet theyre 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?
For conservatives, the episode highlights a deeper problem with blue-state governance: a sprawling welfare bureaucracy that spends lavishly, polices pronouns, but cannot police fraud. Even many people of faith who believe in spiritual warfare would balk at the notion that exorcisms belong on a taxpayer-funded medical ledger, especially in a state whose political class often treats traditional religion with open disdain.
If ten Democrat lawmakers in Sacramento were asked whether they believe in God, demons, and exorcisms, few would likely answer in the affirmative, yet their policies now appear to subsidize such rites under the banner of health care. As more details emerge, this case is shaping up as one more example of runaway Medicaid abuseproof that without strict oversight and a return to limited, accountable government, the fraud will only grow and the taxpayers will keep paying the price.
Login