A recent poll has found that a majority of Californians support extending Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants, despite an escalating federal crackdown on immigration. The poll, conducted by the California Community Foundation, found that 57% of respondents supported allowing all income-eligible residents, regardless of immigration status, access to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. Another poll by the POLITICO-UC Berkeley Citron Center found similar results, with a slim majority of California voters supporting state-funded health coverage for undocumented residents.
The support for extending Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants is notable, given the increasingly dehumanizing rhetoric emanating from Washington. Advocates hope that the findings will shape how California navigates its budget shortfall and looming federal cuts to Medicaid. The state has gradually expanded coverage to undocumented residents since 2016, with notable health improvements among those populations.
The expansions have been successful, but also expensive, with 1.6 million immigrants without legal status now enrolled in Medi-Cal, costing the state $2.7 billion more than budgeted. However, agricultural communities that rely heavily on immigrant labor have benefited from the state’s efforts to expand access to Medi-Cal, with improved health outcomes and reduced economic instability.
Despite the success of the expansions, they may be at risk of being clawed back due to proposed federal cuts to Medicaid. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has passed a budget resolution that calls for cutting up to $880 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years, which could pressure states to alter their health care programs. Advocates argue that cutting benefits for undocumented immigrants would worsen health outcomes and result in higher health care costs across the board.
California is one of only five states that offers health insurance coverage for all income-eligible adults regardless of their immigration status, and advocates hope that it will maintain this distinction despite impending pressures. As Ana Lie Álvarez, a campaign organizer with Health Access California, said, “My hope is that we are able to preserve these health-for-all expansions because the need is not going to go away. It doesn’t matter if there’s a difficult budget or other things going on. It doesn’t change the fact that people need and deserve [health care].”
The issue is not just about health care, but also about the economy and the well-being of California’s communities. As Miguel Santana, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, said, “There’s a disconnect between the dominant narrative and reality. Efforts to do mass deportations, to deny immigrants services, to marginalize them further, are out of step with how Californians think about these issues.” Californians understand the critical roles that immigrants play in the state’s communities and industries, and they are worried that limiting access to basic services like health care will impact everyone.