Undocumented immigrants qualify for free health care in California

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by Victor Nava

Cash-strapped California will begin the new year by offering free health care to all undocumented immigrants eligible for state-run health insurance programs.

The states facing $68 billion deficit In the coming year, he has steadily expanded access to the Medical Health Insurance Program for low-income residents, making undocumented children eligible for the taxpayer-funded program in 2015, and then moving on from Democrat Gavin・The scope was expanded under Governor Newsom. Undocumented adults between the ages of 19 and 25 and persons over the age of 50.

On January 1, California will become the first state to provide free health care to all eligible individuals, regardless of immigration status or age.

In May, Democrats in the California Legislature celebrated the budget deal reached by Newsom and state lawmakers that led to the latest Medi-Cal expansion. Approximately 700,000 undocumented immigrants between the ages of 26 and 49 will now be fully covered by the program.

“This historic investment speaks to California's commitment to health care as a human right,” said State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles). said at the time.

“This is a game-changer,” said Rep. Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles). “This is one of the most important bills to pass this Congress because having access to health care means being able to live without it.” Pain. “

But some health experts worry that expanding the program is unwise, given unprecedented state revenue shortfalls and health care shortages.

“Expansion was a bad idea when the state's budget was strong. Now that California is struggling to make ends meet, it's completely irresponsible to use taxpayer money to cover non-citizens.” '' said Sally Pipes, a health policy expert and president and CEO of the Pacific Institute, a California-based think tank. post.

“Many Medi-Cal doctors already struggle to find doctors who will treat them because of the low reimbursement rates they receive from the government,” Pipes added. “Even if Medi-Cal patients find a doctor, they face very long wait times to receive care.”

Simon Hankinson, a border security and immigration expert at the Heritage Foundation, said in a social media post that he expects the federal government will eventually rescue the program.

“It's not surprising [California]Despite the budget deficit, we will provide subsidized health care to illegal immigrants,” Hankinson said. I wrote to X. “The question is when and how will we get federal taxpayers to bail us out? New York, Illinois and Massachusetts want to know.”

California's Senate Republican caucus also criticized the expansion of the health care plan.

“Medi-Cal is already strained by serving 14.6 million Californians, more than a third of the state's population. Adding an additional 764,000 people to the system would overwhelm current providers. access problems will certainly worsen,” the caucus wrote in response to Newsom’s budget proposal last year.

Modern Medi-Cal expansions cost: $2.6 billion annually.