Dive Brief:
- California state legislation to extend free or low-cost health coverage to illegal immigrants was set Monday for a vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee. It would then still need to pass through the Assembly and get the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown to become law.
- If it passes, SB 4 would make more than a million undocumented workers—many of whom are farm, construction, hotel and other service workers—eligible for Medi-Cal, California's health program for the poor.
- Aside from extending Medi-Cal to illegal immigrants, the bill would also allow higher-income illegal immigrants to purchase unsubsidized private health plans through Covered California.
Dive Insight:
The bill evokes strong reactions both for and against, and opinions are mixed on its viability. However, such a move would not be without precedent. As the California Immigrant Policy Center notes, California has already passed legislation to provide in-state tuition and driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
The bill is a second attempt following a similar one that failed last year due to its high costs. That bill would have required Covered California to offer subsidized coverage for illegal immigrants through a separate exchange. For the idea this time around of offering unsubsidized coverage, however, California would need to obtain a federal waiver to get permission to sell private plans on its exchange to illegal immigrants.