Taxpayer spending on ‘exorcisms’ derails Senate testimony: ‘What the hell are we doing about it?’

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., railed against California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, which is facing scrutiny from the Trump administration over fraud allegations, as Kennedy highlighted reports during a Tuesday hearing that the state covers exorcisms and other faith-based healing practices.

Medi-Cal’s spending practices have faced growing scrutiny as California’s Medicaid spending has more than doubled since 2019, rising from roughly $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion in 2026.

Just last week, the Trump administration suspended $1.4 billion in federal funding for California home health and hospice programs after Vice President J.D. Vance’s anti-fraud task force identified an estimated $600 million in suspected fraud within the state’s Medicaid system.

Kennedy alleged during his line of questioning to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche 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.

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“California’s got 12% of the population in the last ten years,” Kennedy told Blanche. “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?”

Reports that California provides Medicaid coverage for exorcisms and other spiritual rituals were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

In 2024, Medi-Cal expanded coverage for recipients seeking traditional healers and natural helpers within tribal communities. Services covered by taxpayer dollars include music therapy and spiritual interventions such as ceremonies, rituals and herbal remedies, according to a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

To be recognized by the state as a traditional healer, a person must have served as a spiritual leader within an American Indian tribe for at least two years and be contracted by an Indian Health Care Provider. Meanwhile, the requirement for a natural helper is less stringent and can apply to anyone considered a “trusted” member of an American Indian tribe.

Newsom said this expansion of coverage for tribal medicine was made to assist in “helping heal the historical wounds inflicted on tribes.”

“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 in a press release announcing the Medi-Cal expansion. “By supporting greater access to traditional medicine and healing, we are taking another step toward a healthier, brighter future.”

It remains unclear how much Medi-Cal has spent covering services provided by traditional healers or natural helpers. The California Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions by the time of publication.