Latino legislators criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed finances cuts to Medi-Cal Monday afternoon, saying the plan to freeze enrollment and cost premiums for these grownup immigrants with out documentation already enrolled was a betrayal of California’s promise to guard the susceptible.
Legislative pushback for the Could finances revision, launched by Newsom final week, comes after the governor introduced an extra $12-billion for the upcoming fiscal 12 months.
State Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) stated the plan to cost grownup undocumented immigrants $100 monthly for Medi-Cal was a type of redlining, and Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) stated she doubted the two-tiered system was constitutional.
“The governor is proposing a troubling precedent — elevating costs on one group of Californians primarily based solely on their immigration standing. It’s unlawful for Kaiser to do that. It’s unlawful for United Healthcare to do that. It’s unlawful for any physician, hospital or clinic to cost increased costs to undocumented prospects,” Durazo stated at a California Latino Legislative Caucus rally outdoors the state Capitol on Monday.
The influential Latino Legislative Caucus has staunchly opposed cuts to Medi-Cal, the state’s expanded model of the federal Medicaid program. The objections come regardless of California anticipating decreased income partially on account of President Trump’s tariff insurance policies and will increase in state spending, together with the latest growth of Medi-Cal protection to cowl all eligible Californians, together with immigrants missing documentation.
State Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-Panorama Metropolis), chair of a finances subcommittee on well being, stated Newsom’s proposal scapegoats immigrants for California’s financial woes. Immigrants, she stated, are important to California’s strong economic system, just lately ranked because the fourth largest on the earth.
“If you happen to had been to take away the title from this doc — in the event you had been to take away the state, and other people would simply learn this off to you and also you closed your eyes — you’d suppose, ‘Oh, that’s a finances proposed by a Republican in, maybe, Alabama,’” she stated.
Throughout his information convention on Wednesday, Newsom inspired state lawmakers and specifically members of the Latino caucus to supply options to steadiness the state finances in the event that they disagreed together with his proposal.
“Good folks have totally different concepts, and I sit up for their concepts,” Newsom stated.
On Monday, members of the Latino caucus didn’t point out any particular measures they’d take as a substitute of slicing Medi-Cal entry, however pledged to supply finances balancing proposals within the days and weeks to return.
