Legal Questions, $3B A Year Price Tag Stand In Way Of Bill To Expand Medi-Cal To Undocumented Adults
But Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) says that because the state picks up the tab on emergency room visits from these uninsured patients, the benefits of the legislation outweigh the concerns.
KPCC:
California Bill To Provide MediCal To All Adults, Regardless Of Immigration Status
A recent Senate Bill from Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would extend MediCal to all adults in the state, regardless of their immigration status. ... But opponents are concerned about the $3 billion a year price tag, as well as whether this move would be legal. Since the Federal government provides a big part of the Medicaid budget, the state has to follow Federal rules. Another concern is that this policy might attract more undocumented immigrants to the state. (Mantle, 5/22)
In other news from Sacramento —
The Los Angeles Times:
Lawmakers Seek $16 Million To Expand Exide Lead Cleanup Beyond Yards
A long-overlooked source of lead contamination in neighborhoods near a closed Vernon battery recycler could be cleaned under a push by state lawmakers to target the grassy strips between sidewalks and streets. The publicly owned stretches of land, known as parkways, are not included in the state’s slow-moving cleanup of southeast L.A. County yards near the shuttered Exide Technologies facility. (Barboza, 5/22)