Can California say ‘yes’ to everyone? Insuring the undocumented

There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants.

By a 28-11 vote, the Democrat-controlled state Senate became the first U.S. legislative body to vote to expand health care to undocumented immigrants.

Senate Bill 4 by state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), would allow undocumented Californians to buy Affordable Care Act policies (assuming the feds grant a waiver), authorize residents up to age 19 to enroll in Medi-Cal regardless of immigration status and allow some adults to enroll in Medi-Cal regardless of immigration status.

Last year, Lara’s first “Health for All” bill promised health care to all California residents regardless of immigration status.

The bill that passed the state Senate provides Medi-Cal to minors regardless of immigration status, but no subsidy for undocumented residents who want to purchase private plans through Covered California, absent a federal subsidy.

[...] it doesn’t matter.

Within six years of the president promising that immigrants in the country would not be eligible for Obamacare — presumably because that would be wrong — the first state will have bypassed that promise.

Sure, Sacto solons look generous waving Medi-Cal before some 1 million undocumented immigrants.

[...] with Medi-Cal paying doctors as little as $16 for a patient visit, many physicians are refusing to take more Medi-Cal patients.

If California offers “full scope” coverage to people if they come here illegally, opined Jon Fleischman, publisher of the conservative FlashReport, “There is no amount of border security that you can erect that will come between smart people and free stuff.”

While their GOP caucus opposed the bill, two Republican senators voted for it.

While 11 Republican state senators voted against SB4, they were low-key in their opposition.

State Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff of Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County) called the bill’s intent admirable.

[...] without money from Congress and President Obama, it will be very difficult and costly for California taxpayers to fund all of these bill proposals.