All undocumented immigrants who qualify for the state’s government-run health insurance program will receive free medical care at the beginning of the new year in the People’s Republic of California.
California, facing an impending $68 billion deficit, has been progressively expanding the coverage of its Medi-Cal healthcare program for low-income people. In 2015, it was first made available to children of undocumented immigrants. Later, under Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, it was made available to undocumented adults between the ages of 19 and 25, as well as to people over 50.
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On January 1, California will make history by being the first state to provide free healthcare to everyone, irrespective of age or immigration status.
Legislative Democrats from California stated their support for the budget deal reached by Newsom and state representatives in May. Due to this agreement, Medi-Cal is currently being expanded in order to provide 700,000 undocumented immigrants between the ages of 26 and 49 with comprehensive healthcare coverage.
“This historic investment speaks to California’s commitment to health care as a human right,” state Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) said.
“This is a game-changer,” said Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles).“It’s one of the most important pieces of legislation that’s gonna go through this house because the ability to give health care means the ability to live life without pain.”
Legislative Democrats from California stated their support for the budget deal reached by Newsom and state representatives in May. Due to this agreement, Medi-Cal is currently being expanded in order to provide 700,000 undocumented immigrants between the ages of 26 and 49 with comprehensive healthcare coverage.
“The expansion was a bad idea when the state’s coffers were flush. Now that California is struggling to make ends meet, using taxpayer money to cover non-citizens is simply irresponsible,” Sally Pipes, a health care policy expert and the president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a California-based think tank, told The New York Post.
“Many on Medi-Cal are already having a hard time finding doctors to treat them because of low reimbursement rates these doctors receive from the government,” Pipes added. “If those on Medi-Cal can find a doctor, they are facing very long waits for care.”
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Immigration expert Simon Hankinson of the Heritage Foundation believes that the program will eventually be saved by the federal government.
“No surprise [California], despite budget deficit, will give illegal immigrants subsidized health care,” Hankinson remarked. “The question is how and when they’ll get the federal taxpayer to bail them out. NY, IL, and MA want to know.”
The Republican Caucus in the California Senate has denounced the plan’s expansion.
Given that Medi-Cal currently covers more than one-third of the state’s population, the California caucus voiced concerns about the burden on the program. They stressed that 764,000 extra users would make the current problems with provider access worse.
Announcing the most recent Medi-Cal expansion, which is expected to cost $2.6 billion a year on average.
