Cost of undocumented healthcare in California is billions over estimates, pressuring Democrats to consider cuts
By Taryn Luna
Staff Writer
Published March 13, 2025 Updated March 14, 2025 10:40 AM PT
Gov. Gavin Newsom touted California’s role as the first state in the nation to offer healthcare to all income-eligible immigrants one year ago.
The $9.5-billion price tag of California’s state-sponsored healthcare for undocumented immigrants is already more than $3 billion above the budget estimate from last summer and is expected to grow.
Newsom and Democrats in the state Legislature are under pressure to reduce coverage to bring down costs as California experiences a budget crunch and the federal government is poised to cut federal funding.
Gov. JB Pritzker proposed a $330-million budget cut last month to scale back an expansion of healthcare coverage for undocumented adult immigrants in Illinois, where a state audit found that services for certain age groups exceeded cost estimates by more than 280%.
California Democrats are facing the same financial pressure to reduce coverage during a budget crunch.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-13/3b-above-estimates-democrats-in-california-face-pressure-to-cut-medi-cal-for-undocumented-immigrants
