California Makes It Law: Illegal Aliens Entitled to Taxpayer-Funded Healthcare

Proving that there is no state in the union more willing to bend over backwards for illegal aliens at the expense of the citizenry, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a new bill that will make Medicaid available to illegal aliens 25 years of age and younger. Immigrants who meet these age-and-income parameters will now be able to access taxpayer-funded healthcare, regardless of their documented status. California officials have estimated that some 90,000 people will take advantage of the program, costing taxpayers up to $100 million.

While this may seem outrageous, it’s worth noting that Democrats in the legislature actually wanted to go much further. Newsom struck down a bill that would have extended Medicaid benefits to every illegal immigrant in the state, which would have put California taxpayers on the hook for an additional $3.4 billion. Even so, both Newsom and his fellow Democrats in Sacramento have promised voters that this expansion is only the first of many to come.

“If you believe in universal health care, you believe in universal health care,” Newsom said. “We are the most un-Trump state in America when it comes to health policy.”

Great. That’s just what you want your local and state officials to do: Design policy around the parameters that it will piss off the president and his supporters. How very resistance-minded of you, California. We’re sure your taxpayers appreciate the sentiment.

Republicans in California warned that Newsom was only going to put out a WELCOME sign for every illegal alien in the country.

“We are going to be a magnet that is going to further attract people to a state of California that’s willing to write a blank check to anyone that wants to come here,” said state Sen. Jeff Stone. “We are doing a disservice to citizens who legally call California their home.”

Oh, you guys have been doing that disservice for quite some time.

While California is, unfortunately, sometimes the canary in the coal mine when it comes to predicting policy for the nation, the good news is that the American people are generally skeptical of this sort of healthcare initiative. A CNN national poll last month found that 59% of Americans are opposed to providing government-sponsored health insurance to illegal aliens.

That’s probably meaningless to the liberals out in California, but it should be a wake-up call for 2020 Democratic candidates, nearly all of whom have said that their health plans include opening up Medicare to people who shouldn’t be in the country.