No Money to Spare
California has become the first state to provide free health care access for undocumented immigrants following a deal struck by Gov. Gavin Newsom last May with state legislature (California Budget and Policy Center). The deal, which went into effect on Jan. 1, completed the expansion of Medi-Cal access for undocumented immigrants aged 26 to 49. However, many Americans remain opposed to the plan. The expansion would serve to benefit undocumented immigrants over law-abiding citizens and increase California’s staggering debt. However, this expansion may not be here to stay, as immigration is set to reemerge as a key issue in the presidential elections and as California’s budget deficit is ballooning to a record $68 billion (Associated Press).
Republicans have vehemently denied the effectiveness of this expansion, which would grant an estimated 700,000 people access to free health care on an already strained system and cost an annual $3.1 billion (Associated Press). This hefty price tag may warrant a future government bailout, meaning Americans across the country would have to chip in to pay for the program (The New York Times).
“The national economic state is not desirable [because of inflation],” senior Steven Yu said. “[Given that] inflationary pressures diminish the real value of wealth provided to these undocumented immigrants, [a health care expansion] seems very ineffective.”
In addition to causing fiscal turmoil, the bill has alienated many Americans, as it disregards law-abiding citizens. More than 900,000 Californians lost health care access between June and October of 2023, with 90% of the coverage loss due to paperwork issues (CalMatters). Currently, about 25 million Americans nationwide still lack access to health care (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This lack of coverage for citizens, along with other factors, may be why 69% of Americans are against expanding free healthcare for noncitizens (Kaiser Family Foundation).
“[Supporters of the policy] are not actually looking at the situation, [they] are just seeing it as giving people health care,” junior Marc Epp said. “We have to address the American people before we address immigrants. We have to take care of our citizens first, instead of people who are, by definition, breaking the law.”
As of 2021, the undocumented population stands at an estimated 10.5 million people (Pew Research Center), a figure that is likely underestimated given that 2.05 million undocumented people crossed the border in 2023 alone (New York Times). While California may be successful with its expansion, health care coverage for the undocumented on a national level, from a fiscal standpoint, may be harder to implement.
“[The] affordability of a doctor should not be a monetary decision,” Economics and Advanced Placement Economics teacher Allen Aronson said. “When someone is in need, if they cannot afford their own insurance, the government should help them out. [But] it is going to be a heavy tax burden to fund that. Our government spending will be funneled to health care instead of military spending and other [programs].”
The policy of public charge will also add to the state’s woes. California law prevents an immigrant who is dependent on the government, or a “public charge” from becoming a citizen. As a result, many undocumented immigrants eligible for receiving health care have chosen not to apply, fearing it would jeopardize their chances at citizenship by becoming a public charge (Los Angeles Times). Impending government action could also impact the expansion’s effectiveness. Democrats and Republicans have disagreed on how to approach the border crisis, but President Biden’s desperate need to secure aid for the war in Ukraine may lead to concessions for Republicans (Reuters). This may signal that harsher bipartisan anti-immigration laws may be coming, which could reverse the Medi-Cal expansion sometime in the future. California may be in between a rock and a hard place economically for choosing how much it should be helping undocumented immigrants. However, with government action currently in the works, there is no doubt that America will grow only closer to enacting future policies that curb illegal immigration and humanely treat everyone that crosses the border.
