California provides undocumented immigrants with access to health care

Gavin Newsom

California has become the first state to provide undocumented immigrants with access to health care.

California has just made a historic move, passing legislation to provide health care to all undocumented immigrants.

 Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Thursday (June 30) that includes a $307.9 billion operating budget and will provide coverage for an additional 764,000 people ages 26 to 49. This means that the West Coast state has pledged to provide low-income adults with access to Medicaid in California by 2024, regardless of their immigration status.

"This will be the largest expansion of coverage in the state since the Affordable Care Act began in 2014," said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. "In California, we realize (that) everyone benefits when everyone is covered."

"This is a victory for the millions of undocumented Californians who contribute $3.7 billion in state and local taxes and more than $40 billion in purchasing power to our economy each year," she continued. "This is a victory for organizers who have spent years working to make healing for all a reality. It is a victory for California as a whole. We will all be better off once every Californian has access to healthcare."