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California expands Medicaid to undocumented immigrants
California becomes the first state to offer health insurance to all undocumented low-income immigrants
California recently became the first US state to offer health insurance benefits to undocumented immigrants.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to extend Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program for low-income individuals, is aimed at helping those settled in the Golden State. There are 725,000 Indian illegal immigrants in the US, according to Pew Research Center’s latest report.
Previously, undocumented individuals were only allowed to receive emergency and pregnancy-related services after meeting certain eligibility requirements, including residing in California in 2014. The following year, undocumented children could join Medi-Cal, courtesy of a bill signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
In 2019, Gov. Newsom signed an expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal access for everyone in California between the ages of 19 to 25, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. It was further expanded in May 2023 to include people of all ages in the low-income bracket, regardless of their immigration status, according to a report. The income cap for a family of four in 2023 was US $36,156 to qualify for the program.
The office of California State Senator María Elena Durazo issued a statement last, noting that the program’s launch is expected to provide full coverage for approximately 700,000 undocumented residents aged 26-49. Furthermore, it will lead to the largest drop in the rate of uninsured Californians in a decade.
“This historic investment speaks to California’s commitment to health care as a human right,” the statement said. The Medi-Cal expansion is expected to cost US $2.6 billion annually.
Aside from the low-income undocumented adults, California opened Medi-Cal eligibility to people with certain medical conditions. With the new changes, it will be available to those who are pregnant, blind, disabled, under the age of 21, living in a nursing home, or are a recently settled refugee.
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