As Congress moves forward with various health care reform proposals, debate is heating up over whether the plans will cover health services for undocumented immigrants.
California has about three million undocumented immigrants, or about one-quarter of the U.S. total. The state currently spends about 3% of its $40 billion Medi-Cal budget on health services for undocumented residents.
Although state and federal regulations exclude undocumented residents from certain health care programs, local governments often offer services that cover a broader group of residents, including undocumented immigrants.
In a California Healthline Special Report by Deirdre Kennedy, experts discussed the costs and benefits of extending health coverage to undocumented immigrants.
The Special Report includes comments from:
- Sonal Ambegaokar, attorney for the National Immigration Law Center;
- Anthony Cava, spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services;
- Kathleen King, executive director of the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation; and
- Yeh Ling-Ling, executive director of Alliance for a Sustainable USA.
Some advocates say Congress should address immigration issues separately from health care reform (Kennedy, California Healthline, 9/29).