California Will Spend 28x More On Healthcare For Illegals Than State Law Enforcement
By: Emily Kopp (MSN)
But, but, but, but, but ... TRUMP!
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
California expects to spend 28 times more on health benefits for illegal aliens than on state police in the 2025-2026 budget period.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final budget allocates $348 million to law enforcement while the state’s own budget experts in an October report estimate the tab for giving full health benefits for illegal aliens amounts to $10 billion. The new report by the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) reveals a 35% higher figure than the $7.4 billion cost Newsom estimated in his January 2025 budget proposal.
California’s joint state-federal Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, provides comprehensive coverage for doctor’s visits, medications, and dental and vision care for 1.7 million illegal aliens, who represent 11% of the program’s enrollees, according to the LAO report. Illegal immigrants’ health benefits will consume a fourth of the Medi-Cal money flowing from state coffers.
“The Governor is committed to effective crime reduction, which is why California’s crime rate has been rapidly declining in recent years,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Like other states, law enforcement budgets in California are funded primarily through local funding,” Crofts-Pelayo added, pointing to a February 2025 report on city and county spending on police.
But amid a battle in Congress over health spending for illegal immigrants and in the courts over President Donald Trump’s National Guard deployments to Los Angeles and other cities to protect Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) facilities amid a surge in threats, the statistic provides another illustration of the blue state’s priorities.
Newsom, a frequent Trump critic who has hinted at 2028 presidential aspirations , has championed the policy, making California the first state to provide all immigrants meeting income requirements access to Medicaid in 2022. Newsom touted the move as achieving “universal access to health coverage” — even as he backed off promises of a completely state-subsidized single-payer model.
He recently touted “universal health care” as among his accomplishments in an October CNN interview.
Newsom also criticized Trump’s National Guard deployments to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in an Oct. 20 amicus brief dated as an affront to “states’ sovereign rights to handle any public safety matters,” even as public safety received a short shrift under Newsom compared to health benefits for illegal aliens.
Expansions of the policy to include illegal aliens of any age on Medi-Cal drove spending on the program skyward to more than double the initial estimates, LAO’s report says.
While on paper the state must only use its own funds for illegal immigrants, in practice, California obtains federal Medicaid dollars for its pet priorities through complex accounting.
California exploited a loophole in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules to obtain extra Medicaid matching dollars, Niklas Kleinworth, a policy analyst at Paragon Health Institute, told the DCNF. Even former President Joe Biden’s CMS said California’s policy was not in keeping with “the intended design” of their rules, per Paragon, a non-partisan policy research institute founded by Brian Blase, former economic policy advisor to Trump.
“What they did was technically legal, so you can’t call it defrauding the government, but it really was an abuse of the intent of the policy,” Kleinworth told the DCNF. “They got very crafty.”
Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law in July scaled back states’ ability to obtain Medicaid dollars this way, leaving California scrambling for new revenue streams, the LAO report shows. Newsom also negotiated with legislative Democrats throughout the final two quarters of the 2024-2025 budget period on changes to stop the bleeding.
California Democrats finalized their plans in June : In January 2026 the state will implement a freeze on all illegal adult enrollment, with the revocation of dental coverage and a reduction in certain clinic payments to follow.
In July 2027, the state will introduce a $30 monthly premium — a cost 96% lower than the average $650 that Californians with employer-sponsored plans pay .
Acting Oakland police chief Anthony Toribio looks on during a news conference at Oakland police headquarters on May 9, 2013 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The LAO report proposes a tax on the uninsured of $900 or more to make up the shortfall while maintaining programs like the Medicaid expansion for illegal immigrants.
Plans with premiums that cheap are “unicorn policies” for most Americans, Kleinworth told the DCNF.
“The only way a $30 premium exists is through the heavily subsidized Obamacare plans,” said Kleinworth.
In order to qualify for such a plan, an American household could earn no more than 150% of the poverty level, or $23,475 per year for a single adult, far less than the state’s $76,190 median income .
Newsom dismissed criticism of California policy priorities as the product of “California derangement syndrome” in an October Bloomberg interview .
There is absolutely no way illegal immigrants are receiving Obamacare insurance. Illegal immigrants being covered by Medicaid can't happen because that would break the law.
Would someone tell Gavin Newsom? Apparently he didn't get the memo.
Illegal immigrants aren't getting funding from Obamacare or medicaid. In California their coverage is funded by the state. In other states Illegal immigrants are forced to get their care in ERs. If your state doesn't insure them you can expect huge waits in your local ER as a result.
Why is it funded at all, do the people of California receive free Health Care???? How fucking stupid are the people of California to allow this to happen and expect the rest of the USA to pay for it. .
Well, you’re not, so you can relax. California gives more money to the federal government than it receives.
That's right. We've been paying more federal taxes than we've received for over 20 years now.
Don't ask questions like that. They take it as a challenge.
What does that have to do with anything, you have the largest population in the US, you should be giving the most!
You have to understand the basics first, a lot of liberals think all Government spending is equal, intelligent patriotic Americans know this isn't true, writing paychecks for our brave Soldiers who serve is not the same a welfare.
The point is that the country is not losing money because California takes care of undocumented immigrants. The country is still making money off of California.
You’re welcome.
Fine, give me the numbers.
California contributed about 14% of the U.S. GDP in 2023, with a gross domestic product of approximately $3.9 trillion, making it the largest state economy by a significant margin. The state is also a "donor state," meaning it sends significantly more in federal taxes than it receives in funding, a net surplus of about $83 billion in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. In fiscal year 2023-24, California’s total federal taxes were $806 billion — nearly twice as much as Texas , which contributed $417 billion, and more than twice the $384 billion New York contributed.
Californians pay Trump’s bills | Governor of California
California's Economy - Public Policy Institute of California
Could California withhold federal tax dollars in response to Trump? - CalMatters
What about other red States?
Where Your Tax Dollars Go: States Most Dependent on the Federal Government - 2023 Study - SmartAsset
It is rather hilarious that conservatives think they're the ones paying for everything in America, which is why they bitch so much about paying their share of taxes, but the reality shows it's exactly the opposite. They pay the least and take the most. Blue States have been bailing them out for decades.
This article is pure bullshit. The daily caller has outdone itself.
apparently taking care of illegals is the most important thing in California
It's actually worse than that. Newsom is only trying to prove he is a bigger dickhead than Trump.
How do you figure this translates to “most important thing?”
And even if it is, are you going to argue that the health of the people is not important?
The health, welfare and prosperity of citizens is important not outsiders
I like priorities. Goals and ideals are great. But we have millions of these people living and working in our communities - often for poverty wages. That’s reality. You have to deal with reality.
I like priorities and reality too. The priority should be this country is run for the benefit of the Citizens; the reality is the country is overpopulated. We have too many we are stuck with as Citizens now, if they get the priority Citizens should there is not enough left for outsiders. .
Which is why they shouldn't be here, legal immigration vets' people that will be an asset to the country not just someone else to suck off the system.
You assume, without evidence, that they are sucking off the system, as opposed to contributing to it.
It is. Also, apparently, for the benefit of Argentina. And Qatar. And South Africa. And Israel. And the billionaire class, generally.
Is it? What should the population be? How do you know?
Reality is that benefits for illegal aliens attract more illegal aliens.
That's fine if you want to do that. I don't live in California, so I don't care. Y'all do what you want.
But let's don't pretend reality is something it isn't.
No. Not at all. Quite the opposite.
But people need to come legally.
Does it? How do you mean? After all, a job is a benefit. Equal justice is a benefit. Those are standout qualities of the United States compared to our neighbors. That’s why there were millions of illegal aliens in California long before they got healthcare.
But healthcare? Why would healthcare, in particular, be a draw? Mexico already has universal healthcare. So do several other Latin American countries - or something very close to it. In fact, the United States has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, by far. I really doubt our system is much of a draw for most people.
Top of the line health care in the world is in fact attractive.
AI overview:
Life expectancy: 36th out of 41 countries
Infant mortality: 40th out of 41 countries
Preventable deaths: Last
Access to care: Last
Health outcomes: Last
Fckn ridiculous GREED
The surest sign someone has no idea what thy are talking about is when they cite lift expectancy as a measure of health care.
American life expectancy is shorter because of guns, autos and obesity. Just switching to fully self driving cars would make a significant dent in those numbers.
No pregnant woman leaves the country to give birth to get better care, which is all you really need to know. This again, is another famously manipulated statistics that countries like Cuba promote to useful idiots. The reality is that we tell the truth, we count risky births as live ones that other countries don't and too many American mothers use drugs. You actually have to understand the numbers before you parrot them.
Only the biggest fool in the world would seek healthcare for a premie or at other at risk baby in Cuba rather than the US.
Not only is our health care not top of the line, it is simply not a primary reason for immigration to the US - legal or illegal. They come for jobs, family, safety, and stability. They are not coming for the free health care.
Fake news, huh?
Look, if you think health care is what causes the discrepancy in lift expectancy between countries, there's really not much more that can said. I would hope that everyone understands that young Americans shoot each other much more than the youth and other countries and can figure out why murder and other high rush actions (driving, hard drugs, obesity ) effects life expectancy in ways that "medicine" have little to do with.
I was able to grasp the truth behind the "lies, damn lies and statistics" maxim early on. Sadly, many lack those critical thinking skills or are so blinded by partisan or other prejudices that they simply accept whatever they are told when it reinforces their desired outcomes. Comparative statistics are only helpful if they measure the same thing and are honestly reported. Do the research, "infant mortality" is one of the most useless of statistics as countries disagree on what counts as a "live birth." And that doesn't even touch upon the difference in how mothers' take care of themselves. It's not the medical system's fault mothers abuse drugs. Again, this is all stuff people should be able to understand.
Even if analyzing statistics is too hard, people should be able to use common sense to understand the world. No one with a high risk pregnancy chooses to go to a country like Cuba to give birth because the level of care for a high risk infant is infinitely better here and everyone understands that it when its their own loved ones who need top of the line care.
I never said it was. But immigrants are not stupid and respond to incentives. Given the choice, free top of the line health care paid for by others among a host of other welfare benefits makes some countries and states within countries more attractive than others.
For those interested in numbers addressing conditions quality of care directly impacts:
But sure, american can isn't "top tier". lol.
so blinded by partisan or other prejudices
Spectacular self own. You act as if every one of us who has personally lost friends, family members, coworkers, associates, enemies, etc., the majority of them were lost to the select list that serves your purpose. I’ve known two people in my entire life lost to murder, but most people don’t personally know anyone who has been murdered. Americans are chronically sick because that is what capitalism married to healthcare fosters. Any attempt to correct that is met with stiff resistance and cries from the right of nanny state blah blah blah. The pharmaceutical industry in this country has maintaining sickness higher on its list than curing sickness. Primary care physicians are switching to concierge style business models rather than simply serving public health, whereby patients are cut loose if they don’t opt in to thousands of dollars per year in non-covered membership fees just to be a patient/client.
No, of course not. Jack did, and that’s the thread you jumped in on. That’s why I referenced it.
I know that intuitively, a lot of people believe this is why immigrants come here, but the information we have is that they really come for the reasons I mentioned. Not our healthcare, and not our social programs (most of which they are not eligible for anyway).
Yes. Absolutely. Obviously.
Any time you either provide an incentive (like the availability of employment) or remove an obstacle (like the high cost of health care) you make immigration easier and more attractive.
No. I didn't. Read carefully.
Don't forget religion and bigotry!
Then it’s up to you to clarify your intent. Not me.
The thing is, you haven’t established that California’s health plan is a real world incentive for actual immigrants. I understand why you believe it to be true, but sometimes our intuition is in conflict with the facts.
I'm not responsible for your wildly erroneous assumptions.
It's not intuition. It's basic economic principle.
Then you'll just have to live with it.
Again, you still haven't demonstrated that your "principle" is operating in the real world. You just declared it to be so without evidence.
Agreed. But in order to deal with that reality we need to deal with the reality of how today's reality came to be, despite the very real immigration laws that have been in place the whole time. That is how problem solving works. One looks at the root or the cause of a problem in order to figure out how to eliminate it and keep it from snowballing forward.
I don’t love that we spend money in this way, but it’s arguably necessary. Policies like healthcare, driver licenses, and ignoring immigration enforcement (aka sanctuary cities) are about dealing with a situation that exists, not trying to create a population of the undocumented. That is, undocumented people are here and driving, so we might as well make them pass the test and get licensed and insured. And if they don’t have healthcare, we’ll ending up spending more on them going to the emergency room. If we make them afraid to talk to police, they won’t report crime or testify to it in court.
These people have been coming to California since before it was a state. Gavin Newsom didn’t invent illegal immigration. You can say you’d prefer things to be different, and there may be value in working toward that, but in the meantime, you have to deal with life as it is.
Most law enforcement is funded locally by counties and cities. Not the state. Denying health care to a child based on where his mother was born is immoral and should be a crime. Before California was a state, it was Mexico.
Articles from the daily caller should be banned here as they rarely contain anything approaching truth.
They pass the MBFC test. They aren't even that close to being labeled Questionable. ( yet or again?)