+Medical Alert Review

Does Medicaid pay for a medical alert in California?

By Carol Bennett, Senior EditorUpdated How we evaluate

Reader-supported: one link on this page may earn us a commission, at no cost to you.

The short answer

Yes. California's Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) Waiver lists a medical alert, if your parent qualifies for nursing-home-level care.

Send this to family

Text itEmail it

What stands out in California

California's Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) Waiver lists a medical alert

Medicaid calls it a PERS.

Programs for older adults
ProgramWho it servesMedical alert?Source
Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) WaiverSection 1915(c)Medi-Cal enrollees aged 60+ and disabled, at nursing facility level of care, residing in a county with an MSSP siteLists a medical alertRead the sourceChecked October 12, 2026
What it says
“Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)/ Communication Device”

One phone call starts the application

Call California Aging and Adult Information Line (routes to local Area Agency on Aging): 800-510-2020

Ask for a “personal emergency response system” under the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) Waiver. What else to ask

102 Medicare Advantage plans here list a medical alert

How CMS marks these

Alameda10 plans
Alpine1 plan
Amador1 plan
Butte1 plan
Calaveras1 plan
ColusaNo plans listed
Contra CostaNo plans listed
Del NorteNo plans listed
El Dorado1 plan
Fresno23 plans
GlennNo plans listed
HumboldtNo plans listed

Medicare lists 1,918 equipment suppliers here

Home equipment, not alerts; price labels explained

Adelanto1 supplier
Agoura Hills1 supplier
Alameda3 suppliers
Alamo1 supplier
Albany3 suppliers
Alhambra5 suppliers
Aliso Viejo3 suppliers
Alpine1 supplier
Altadena1 supplier
Anaheim23 suppliers
Anderson1 supplier
Angels Camp1 supplier

Lift chairs · Medicare and lift chairs · Adjustable beds.

21.9% of older California residents live alone

People 65 and over who live alone
21.9%
1,346,810 people. Census ACS 2020-2024. Census source
Deaths from falls, age 65+, per 100,000
41.3
Age-adjusted, 2024. CDC source

All states

If nothing pays, the monthly bill is yours

Original Medicare does not pay; compare prices.

Paying yourself? Medical Care Alert

From $29.95/mo for the Home plan; without a landline, LTE cellular adds $5/mo (price page, October 1, 2026).

See Medical Care Alert plans

Affiliate link. No one else on this page paid to appear.

Questions families ask

Does Medicaid pay for a medical alert in California?

Yes: California's Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) Waiver lists one.

Do Medicare Advantage plans in California cover a medical alert?

102 Medicare Advantage plans in California list a medical alert for 2027.

Data checked October 12, 2026. How we built this · Report a correction