California Legislature Agrees To Expand Medicaid To Undocumented Young Adults, But Stops Short Of Including Seniors
The decision to offer Medicaid to all young adults under 26 regardless of immigration status is another step toward universal coverage for California. But the deal falls short of what some advocates had hoped for.
The Associated Press:
California OKs Health Care For Some Adult Immigrants
Some low-income adults in California living in the country illegally will soon get their health benefits paid for by taxpayers. Democrats in the state Legislature on Sunday agreed to make adults between the ages of 19 and 25 eligible for the state's Medicaid program. Not everyone will get those benefits, only people whose incomes are low enough to qualify for the program. State officials estimate the program will cover an additional 90,000 people at a cost of $98 million. (Beam, 6/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Undocumented Immigrants Get Health Care In Newsom CA Budget Deal
Lawmakers want to use an “extraordinary” state budget surplus to expand health care options for undocumented people while stockpiling billions of dollars in reserves in anticipation of an economic downturn, according to documents the Legislature’s Budget Conference Committee released. The agreement marks the end of months of negotiations between Newsom and the Legislature. Lawmakers face a June 15 deadline to pass the budget, which will take effect in July. (Bollag and Ashton, 6/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Gov. Gavin Newsom Abandons Water Tax, Rejects Some New Spending In California Budget Deal
Immigrant rights advocates were disappointed in lawmakers’ opting for the less expensive option that focuses on younger adults. “The exclusion of undocumented elders from the same healthcare their U.S. citizen neighbors are eligible for means beloved community members will suffer and die from treatable conditions,” said Cynthia Buiza of the California Immigrant Policy Center. (Myers, 6/9)
In other news on immigration and health —
The New York Times:
Migrants In Custody At Hospitals Are Treated Like Felons, Doctors Say
Rom Rahimian, a medical student working at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson, was trying to help a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman who had been found late last year in the desert — dehydrated, pregnant and already in labor months before her due date. But the Border Patrol agents lingering in the room were making him uncomfortable. The agents remained in the obstetrics ward night and day as physicians worked to halt her labor. They were present during her medical examinations, listened in on conversations with doctors and watched her ultrasounds, Mr. Rahimian said. (Fink, 6/10)
