California's state law ending government coverage of adult dental, podiatry, optometry, chiropractic care and other healthcare services for the poor cannot stand, a federal appeals court on Friday. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal Medicaid program for the poor prohibits the changes imposed by a California law. The decision could have budgetary implications for the nation's most populous state. California Department of Health Care Services spokesman Norman Williams said the ruling covers patients at certain federally funded health centers, not all Medicaid recipients in the state, though Williams could not estimate the specific number of people affected. Faced with a budget crisis in 2009, California state lawmakers limited a variety of healthcare services covered by Medicaid, a decision ultimately approved by the federal agency that oversees the program.
