Newsom Signals He Won’t Cut Healthcare For Illegal Migrants Despite Soaring Costs

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he won’t end taxpayer-backed healthcare for illegal migrants, despite being billions short on state healthcare funds.

The governor Monday requested state lawmakers provide a $2.8 billion loan to help cover expenses for Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program, according to CalMatters. This request was in addition to the $3.4 billion loan the Newsom administration borrowed from the state earlier in March in order to make payments for Medi-Cal through the end of the month — totaling $6.2 billion in spending above what the state budget originally projected.

“Not on my docket,” the governor said to reporters Tuesday when asked if he would cut Medi-Cal for those living unlawfully in the country, according to KCRA 3.

Despite his refusal to consider cutting state-funded healthcare benefits to illegal migrants, Newsom acknowledged the inclusion of them into the program has contributed to ballooning costs.

“This was something we previewed in the January budget, something I previewed in other conversations with other governors in December at the Democratic Governors Association as an issue we’re seeing all across the country,” the governor said Tuesday, according to KCRA 3.

In January 2024, California became the first state in the U.S. to offer taxpayer-funded healthcare insurance to all low-income illegal immigrants, regardless of age. Previously, illegal migrants were not qualified to receive Medi-Cal benefits, but were permitted to receive emergency and pregnancy-related services as long as they met certain eligibility requirements.