Avast ye scurvy scallywags! Gavin Newsom be dolin' out booty to them illegal lubbers, and us honest folk may pay the price!
2024-01-05
Arr, ye scurvy dog, Gov. Newsom be keepin' at it, expandin' healthcare fer them scallywag illegal immigrants. But mark ye this, the latest plunder he seeks may cost ye, hard-workin' taxpayers, a cursed $11 billion in federal booty!
Much of America's future is determined in California, where the state government often tests new policies that end up failing. The latest announcement from California's Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom, is that the state will now provide health care coverage to an additional 764,000 illegal immigrants on top of the 1.1 million already in the Medi-Cal system, which is California's version of Medicaid. This brings the total number of people enrolled in Medi-Cal to over one-third of California's population.California has been gradually adding undocumented immigrants to the Medi-Cal program since 2015, starting with eligible children and then expanding to include adults aged 50 and older. The latest expansion includes those aged 26 to 49 at an estimated annual cost of $3.1 billion to California taxpayers. The federal government only covers Medicaid expenses for those who are lawfully present in the U.S.
Medi-Cal is already the largest portion of California's budget, with the state chipping in about $40 billion from its General Fund and the federal government contributing around $90 billion. California's Democratic leadership sees the Medi-Cal program as a means to move towards universal health insurance coverage, arguing that it is more cost-effective to expand Medi-Cal than to provide uncompensated emergency care services to undocumented immigrants.
However, expanding Medi-Cal coverage does not necessarily guarantee access to care. In rural counties, the number of physicians accepting Medicaid has drastically dropped between 2016 and 2019. Additionally, many hospitals are on the brink of closure due to losses from Medi-Cal, putting providers out of business.
California is also facing a massive $68 billion budget deficit, which means that budget cuts will have to be made. Some Republican lawmakers argue that adding health care coverage for illegal immigrants to this deficit is not a wise decision. However, the Biden administration may consider declaring illegal immigrants as being in the nation lawfully, thus making them eligible for Medicaid benefits. This could potentially save California billions of dollars in federal assistance.
While California's generosity towards illegal immigrants may attract more migrants to the state, it may also partially offset the population drain that California has been experiencing in recent years.