California Becomes 1st State To Offer Health Coverage To Undocumented Immigrants

Healthcare for all is the way to go.

California has started 2024 by expanding healthcare program eligibility to all undocumented immigrants, Forbes reported.

If eligibility requirements are met on Jan. 1, undocumented adults between the ages of 26 and 49 qualify for health insurance through the state’s Medi-Cal program, which is designed to insure coverage for low-income residents. Prior to the expansion, the program only covered undocumented children, persons between 19 and 25, and those 50 years and older.

Approved by legislation in May 2023, 700,000 additional undocumented Californians will be eligible for health insurance.

“This historic investment speaks to California’s commitment to health care as a human right,” State Senator María Elena Durazo (D-CA) said, according to her website.

Program funding will be provided by the California Health and Human Services Agency, giving $835.6 million between 2023 and 2024 and $2.6 billion annually. Gov. Gavin Newsom says the expansion will help keep families together.

“In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage — regardless of income or immigration status,” Newsom’s office told ABC News.

“Through this expansion, we’re making sure families and communities across California are healthier, stronger, and able to get the care they need when they need it.”

Close to 50% of undocumented immigrant adults in America have reported being uninsured, in comparison to 8% of U.S.-born citizens. Data from health policy research nonprofit KFF shows undocumented adults are more likely to work jobs that don’t provide health benefits, while facing eligibility restrictions with federal programs.

Undocumented immigrants in California will also be allowed to receive preventive services such as flu shots, while older immigrants are eligible to receive age-appropriate health services such as cancer screenings and the shingles vaccine.

Critics don’t think this is the right move. Lawmakers in the California State Republican Caucus claim Medi-Cal is “strained” with close to 15 million citizens already using it.

“Adding 764,000 more individuals to the system will certainly exacerbate current provider access problems,” the caucus wrote last year. During his 2020 State of the Union Address, former President Donald Trump alluded that California would “bankrupt our nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens.”