In a move that has been over a decade in the making, California is set to provide free healthcare to all qualifying undocumented immigrants, regardless of age, starting January 1.
This decision, which is expected to attract a record number of undocumented immigrants to the United States, is the culmination of years of advocacy by Democrats for free healthcare for this population.
The journey towards this landmark decision began in 2009, when Democrats first expressed their support for the idea. Fast forward to 2018, and California Democrat Gavin Newsom was campaigning on the promise of universal healthcare for all undocumented immigrants. A year later, as Governor, Newsom signed a bill into law that provided taxpayer-funded healthcare to undocumented immigrants.
In 2022, Newsom proposed a budget that would fund free healthcare for all undocumented immigrants. Now, just two days away from the new year, undocumented immigrants will qualify for free healthcare in California.
As reported by The New York Post, California, despite facing a $68 billion deficit in the next fiscal year, will become the first state to offer free healthcare to all qualifying individuals, irrespective of their immigration status or age. This is a significant expansion of the state's Medi-Cal health insurance program for low-income residents, which began covering undocumented children in 2015 and later extended to undocumented adults between the ages of 19-25 and those over 50 under Governor Newsom.
The latest expansion of the Medi-Cal program, resulting from a budget deal struck by Newsom and state lawmakers, is expected to provide full coverage to approximately 700,000 undocumented immigrants aged 26-49. Democrats in the California Legislature celebrated this historic investment in May.
State Sen. Mara Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) hailed the move, stating, "This historic investment speaks to Californias commitment to healthcare as a human right." As such, California's decision to provide free healthcare to undocumented immigrants is a testament to the state's commitment to human rights and a significant step towards universal healthcare.
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