California Assemblyman Introduces Bill to End All Taxpayer Funding of Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants

As the Globe recently reported, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal went into effect Monday, January 1, 2024, making more than 700,000 illegal immigrants residents between ages 26 and 49 eligible for full health care coverage – at a very precarious time with his $68 billion budget deficit.

If Gavin Newsom and the state’s Democrats – who surely flunked basic math – are trying to bankrupt the state, they are going about it correctly. This latest expansion of Medi-Cal will cost  $2.6 billion annually on top of the $330 billion budget.

And notably, California is the only state in the country to fund health care for illegal immigrants.

Wednesday, the Globe learned that a bill was introduced by Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) to end all taxpayer funding for health care for illegal immigrants – those in the state illegally.

However, few other Republicans were willing to sign on to his bill as co-authors. The Globe contacted several Republican Assembly offices to ask if the member would co-author.

Thus far, we heard Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez will co-author the bill. And we spoke to Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin), who said:

When California is facing a multi-billion deficit that will likely result in cuts to schools and other vital programs, we absolutely should not be creating new programs to fund Medi-Cal for people who came here illegally. As a member of the budget committee, I will be fighting to eliminate this new program. I look forward to Assemblyman Essayli drafting the statutory language for the bill for our consideration.

The bill says:

The expansion of universal health care to illegal immigrants is estimated to cost California taxpayers $4,000,000,000.

California began 2024 with a $68 billion budget deficit.

In 2024, Covered California premiums (California’s Obamacare) increased 9.6%; the Public Employees Retirement System increased premiums by 10.77%, and other health insurance providers notified policy holders of even higher rate increases.

Inflation continues to burden Californians with prices 19 % higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Assemblyman Essayli announced this Wednesday evening:

I just introduced AB 1783 to revoke all taxpayer funding for health care for illegal immigrants in the California State Budget.

It is unconscionable to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to give universal healthcare to illegal immigrants when our own citizens cannot afford their own healthcare on top of historic inflation and the highest cost of living in the nation.

The state budget has a $68 billion deficit, insurance premiums are going up across the board, and consumer prices remain 19% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Law-abiding immigrants like my parents are part of the great fabric of our state and nation. We cannot incentivize illegal immigration with free healthcare. We must take care of our own citizens before trying to care for the citizens of other nations.

BREAKING: I just introduced AB 1783 to revoke all taxpayer funding for health care for illegal immigrants in the California State Budget.

It is unconscionable to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to give universal healthcare to illegal immigrants when our own citizens cannot… pic.twitter.com/70Ci93HRw9

— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) January 4, 2024

Important to remember, as the Globe reported, in October, Gov. Newsom signed SB 770 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) “to force all Californians out of their existing health coverage – including Medicare, employer-based coverage and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) plans – and into a new untested government-run system, with no ability to opt out or choose private coverage instead,” the Globe reported.

SB 770 braces California for universal healthcare – most notably – as a single-payer system that leftists have been agitating for on their march toward fully socialized, government-run health care.

This bill also requires raising taxes by roughly $300 billion a year. (The entire state budget is about $330 billion a year – emphasis ours).

As the Globe warned before the health care bill was signed into law, “What Senator Wiener is proposing is far worse than Obamacare, and will tax Californians an additional $300 Billion – double the state budget in total.”

This is only proof that Gov. Newsom and Democrats have come at the single payer and universal healthcare issue from all sides, to ensure their schemes were enshrined into state law – and paid for by taxpayers.

Article updated to include Assemblyman Essayli’s Tweet and announcement.