Inland Empire lawmaker seeks to rescind universal healthcare for undocumented CA residents
A Riverside County lawmaker introduced legislation today that would bar undocumented state residents from accessing taxpayer-funded health insurance amid the yawning state budget deficit.
Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Norco, said that the goal of Assembly Bill 1783 is to end universal health insurance for all undocumented foreign nationals, which became the law on Jan. 1 under provisions negotiated as part of the 2023-24 fiscal year budget.
California is first in the nation to establish the allowance.
"It is unconscionable to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to give universal health care to illegal immigrants when our own citizens cannot afford their own health care on top of historic inflation and the highest cost of living in the nation,'' Essayli said. "The state budget has a $68 billion deficit, insurance premiums are going up across the board and consumer prices remain 19% higher than pre-pandemic levels."
Undocumented immigrants 26 to 49 years old are able to access full Medi-Cal benefits because of the new budget provisions.
When the change was announced in May, state Sen. Maria Durazo, D-Los Angeles, hailed it as a milestone that would "remove immigration status as a barrier to health care."
"This historic investment speaks to California's commitment to health care as a human right,'' she said.
Undocumented children have been able to access Medi-Cal benefits since 2015, and full scope access was soon after granted to foreign nationals ages 19 to 25, as well as those 50 and up.
"Law-abiding immigrants like my parents are part of the great fabric of our state and nation,'' Essayli said. "We cannot incentivize illegal immigration with free health care. We must take care of our own citizens before trying to care for the citizens of other nations."
According to legislative analyses, the Medi-Cal expansion will cost $4 billion during the first year in operation.
Medi-Cal is the state-backed health insurance program provided by Medicaid.
"In 2024, Covered California premiums increased by 9.6%, the Public Employees' Retirement System increased premiums by 10.77%, and other health insurance providers notified policyholders of even higher rate increases," Essayli's proposal noted.
The assemblyman said AB 1783 would make it clear the "Legislature seeks to re-prioritize limited taxpayer resources for California citizens in need, rather than illegal immigrants who are citizens of a foreign nation."
