Poll: Californians Divided Over Undocumented Health Care
California voters are divided about whether the state should provide undocumented immigrants with low- or no-cost health insurance, according to a new poll, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Details of Poll
The poll was commissioned by the Times and the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. It was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint.
The poll was conducted by phone between Aug. 29 and Sept. 8. It yielded responses from 1,500 registered state voters.
Findings
According to the poll:
- 48% of respondents said undocumented immigrants should be eligible for low- or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, or a similar program;
- 47% said undocumented immigrants should not be eligible for such coverage; and
- 6% said they were unsure or refused to answer.
Support for expanding eligibility for low- or no-cost health plans to undocumented immigrants was split by ethnicity and along party lines, with:
- 69% of Latinos supporting it, compared with 39% of whites; and
- 68% of Democrats supporting it, compared with 19% of Republicans.
David Kanevsky of American Viewpoint said that while previous research has shown that California residents are liberal on several immigration topics, the "issue is not resolved" regarding government benefits that involve financial compensation for undocumented immigrants (Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 9/15).
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