Starting January 1, California will be the first state to offer health insurance to all undocumented immigrants. Regardless of age, they will qualify for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program for low-income individuals.
Previously, undocumented immigrants were ineligible for comprehensive health insurance. They could only receive emergency and pregnancy-related services under Medi-Cal if they met eligibility criteria, including income limits and California residency since 2014.
In 2015, undocumented children gained access to Medi-Cal through legislation signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. Subsequently, in 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded full-scope Medi-Cal access for young adults aged 19 through 25.
This is regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Access was further extended to older adults aged 50 and above, allowing them to receive full benefits, irrespective of immigration status.
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The final expansion, taking effect on Jan. 1, will render approximately 700,000 undocumented residents between the ages of 26 and 49 eligible for full coverage. This was stated by California State Sen. María Elena Durazo.
“This historic investment speaks to California’s commitment to health care as a human right,” Durazo said in a statement in May. “In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage – regardless of income or immigration status,” Gov. Newsom’s office said in response to an ABC News request for comment.
“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.”
California’s plan to expand coverage has not been without its detractors. The California Senate Republican Caucus criticized the move in an analysis of the 2022-23 governor’s budget.
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“Medi-Cal is already strained by serving 14.6 million Californians – more than a third of the state’s population. Adding 764,000 more individuals to the system will certainly exacerbate current provider access problems,” the caucus wrote last year.
However, studies have shown that undocumented immigrants use fewer healthcare resources than non-immigrants. About 50% of undocumented immigrant adults in America report being uninsured, compared to just 8% of U.S.-born citizens.
According to the health policy research nonprofit KFF, this is due to undocumented adults being more likely to work jobs that don’t provide health benefits, as well as facing eligibility restrictions for federal programs.
Additionally, eligible undocumented immigrants may face other barriers, including confusion about eligibility, language challenges, and fear, KFF said.
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This is despite low-income undocumented immigrants in California being about as likely as those currently enrolled in Medi-Cal to have at least one chronic condition, according to research conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), a nonprofit research institution.
When California expanded health care coverage in 2019 to include undocumented young adults, then-President Donald Trump blasted the plan, calling it “very unfair to our citizens.”
“If you look at what they’re doing in California, how they’re treating people, they don’t treat their people as well as they treat illegal immigrants,” Trump told reporters at the time. “So, at what point does it stop? It’s crazy what they’re doing. It’s crazy. And it’s mean and very unfair to our citizens.”
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