By Bobby Jindal and Hannah I. Anderson
Six states and DC use financial gimmicks to make Americans pay for illegal immigrant healthcare
It was at the top of the agenda at the GOP convention: 12 million illegal immigrants have entered the country over the last four years. Cities from Denver to New York City have pulled resources from Americans to reward individuals who came here illegally with free housing, education, activities and universal health care.
But these policies – supported by then-Senator Kamala Harris – have financial costs and human consequences, and those should not be borne by the American patient or American taxpayer. Yet six states plus D.C. use creative accounting and financing gimmicks, under the guise of “compassion,” to do just that.
Beginning on January 1, 2024, California’s SB 184 allows all illegal immigrants, including those ages 19-64, to qualify for the state’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. After its passage, Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom bragged that California would be the first state in the nation to provide universal health coverage, regardless of immigration status.