Health care: Illegal immigrants would get Medi-Cal under California bill
Like many of the state's 2.5 million illegal immigrants, Gonzalez does not have health insurance because he can't afford it. If he gets sick, he seeks treatment at a public health clinic. Anything more serious means a trip to the hospital emergency room.
But on Monday, state legislation that would extend free or low-cost health care coverage to immigrants who are in the country illegally heads to the
If Senate Bill 4 can make it over that hurdle, through the Assembly and ultimately garner Gov.
Furious opponents, however, say it's just another example of liberal legislators opening up
Authored by Sen.
But Lara argues that the current bill is altered in ways he believes will significantly reduce costs. One key difference is that his first bill would have required Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange established under the Affordable Care Act, to offer subsidized health care coverage for undocumented Californians through a separate exchange.
A fiscal analysis of SB 4 obtained by this newspaper before its scheduled release to the public on Monday shows that annual
If the order is eventually upheld in court, about 900,000 of
In addition to expanding
The bill's proponents seem confident it will become law.
"Californians have shown themselves to be very supportive of the immigrant community," said Reshma Shamasunder, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, a nonprofit group that advocates pro-immigrant policies.
She cites as examples a
Shamasunder calls the bill a "modest investment for a huge return," noting that one study estimates it would cost pennies on each dollar that
But critics say the bill places another burden on taxpayers already overwhelmed by the costs of illegal immigration.
"A health care bill would certainly incentivize more illegal immigrants to come here, and that is something that
"We've got lots of problems to solve -- some are overwhelming, like the drought," Guzzardi said. "More legislation for immigrants would just put more strain on the state."
At the
Even if
Moreover, Citrin doubts the Obama administration would modify the current terms of the Affordable Care Act to benefit illegal immigrants, especially after the backlash from congressional Republicans after he signed the executive order aimed at halting deportations.
Like many
"That sounds pretty good," Gonzalez said.
For now, he often receives medical care from county doctors and nurses who staff a mobile medical clinic that visits local farms once a week in the evenings.
Inside a patient room at the back of the bus, Gonzalez was recently seen by Dr.
Called Saludos, the clinic is part of a county program that provides comprehensive health care services to the valley's homeless population, which extends to farmworkers as well.
It shares a similar goal with SB 4.
"Providing care to those least able to afford or access care is both the right and smart thing to do," said Dr.
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BY THE NUMBERS
Californians without health insurance before the Affordable Care Act kicked into high gear in late 2013: 6.6 million
Number of uninsured Californians today: 3.4 million
About 1.7 million of uninsured are illegal immigrants
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