Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Expands Medi-Cal To Cover Young Adults Living In Country Illegally As Issue Gains Traction In 2020 Race
The Associated Press: California OKs Benefits To Immigrants In Country Illegally
California has become the first state to offer taxpayer-funded health benefits to young adults living in the country illegally. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Tuesday that makes low-income adults age 25 and younger eligible for the state's Medicaid program regardless of their immigration status. (7/9)
NPR: California Approves Law Giving Health Benefits To Undocumented Adults
On Tuesday, Newsom said the state law draws a sharp contrast with Trump's immigration policies. "If you believe in universal health care, you believe in universal health care," Newsom said. "We are the most un-Trump state in America when it comes to health policy." In California, extending health benefits to undocumented immigrants is widely popular. A March survey conducted by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that almost two-thirds of state residents support providing coverage to young adults who are not legally authorized to live in the country. (Allyn, 7/10)
Los Angeles Times: Are Democrats Helping Trump By Promising Healthcare To Undocumented Migrants?
With a sharp left turn, Democrats are risking a backlash on an issue of raw emotional and political sensitivity: providing government healthcare to millions of people in the country illegally. Ten of the party’s nearly two dozen presidential candidates stood on a debate stage last month and, without hesitation, raised their hands pledging themselves to the policy shift. Most others in the field have also expressed their support. “This is not about a handout,” said South Bend., Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “This is an insurance program. We do ourselves no favors by having 11 million undocumented people in our country be unable to access healthcare.” (Barabak and Levey, 7/9)
Marketplace: Here's How It Works If You're Undocumented And Need Health Care
People in the country illegally are, for the most part, barred from enrolling in Medicaid or Medicare. They can’t buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace because that would be publicly subsidized. But if an undocumented person can afford it, they can purchase their own, unsubsidized insurance. (Uhler, 7/9)
The New York Times: Border Arrests Drop By 28% In June In First Decline Of The Year
Arrests at the southwestern border dropped by 28 percent in June, according to the Department of Homeland Security, signaling the first time this year that the number of border crossings declined. The department said that 104,344 arrests occurred in June, down from 144,278 in May — the highest monthly total in 13 years. It credited the drop to the security forces Mexico deployed to prevent migrants from reaching the United States border and the expansion of a program that forces migrants to wait in Mexico as their immigration cases are processed. (Kanno-Youngs, 7/9)
The Associated Press: Border Numbers Drop Amid Heat, Mexico Crackdown
The decline comes amid renewed outcry over squalid conditions for migrant children crammed into facilities not meant to hold them longer than 72 hours. Some are kept for weeks because of delays in the system. The monthly border apprehension numbers have become a yardstick by which President Donald Trump measures the success of his administration’s efforts to reduce immigration, his signature issue. The number of families from Central America has risen dramatically under his term despite his hardline policies. (Long, 7/9)
NPR: Drop In Migrant Flow Across U.S.-Mexico Border In June
Still, the number of migrants DHS reported taking into custody remains high. DHS noted that that the total number of apprehensions in the first six months of this year is 140% higher than the same period last year. "We are still in an ongoing border security and humanitarian crisis," the department said in a statement. "We are past the breaking point and in a full-blown emergency. This situation should not be acceptable to any of us." (Burnett and Rose, 7/9)
