California State Senator Brian Jones, a Republican, joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss a new proposal aimed at addressing the surge of migrants from the ending of Title 42. In a significant development, Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and the top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, is introducing a bill on Thursday that aims to prevent liberal states from forcing American citizens in other states to subsidize state programs that expand public healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants. The legislation, known as the Protect Medicaid Act, seeks to restrict the use of federal funds in administering state Medicaid benefits to noncitizens by American citizens.
Under current federal law, illegal immigrants are not eligible to receive Medicaid benefits. However, certain states, such as California, have found ways to circumvent this restriction by using state funds from their public healthcare system, called Medi-Cal, to extend Medicaid benefits to individuals without legal immigration status. This practice has raised concerns among Republicans, who argue that it serves as a magnet for more people to come to the state illegally and adds to the state’s debt.
The Protect Medicaid Act aims to hold states accountable by requiring the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate how states offering Medicaid services to illegal individuals maintain the separation of federal and state funds. The review will also assess if these states employ strategies such as provider taxes and intergovernmental transfers to manipulate federal dollars. Additionally, it will examine the impact of covered outpatient drugs on individuals without legal status and whether this affects prices for American citizens.
In California, nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants aged between 26 and 49 qualify for health care services, costing California taxpayers an estimated $3.1 billion. This translates to approximately $4,058 per year in medical coverage subsidies funded by the state’s general fund for those living in California illegally within this age range. Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced that California would expand health care coverage to additional illegal immigrants, further burdening the state’s already struggling Medi-Cal system. It is worth noting that more than one-third of California’s population is currently enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, which also covers transgender procedures such as sex change surgeries.
The introduction of the Protect Medicaid Act comes at a time when the number of migrants attempting to cross the U.S. southern border reached a record high. In December alone, over 302,000 migrant encounters were documented, marking the highest total for a single month ever recorded and the first time monthly encounters surpassed 300,000.
Overall, the bill introduced by Senator Cassidy seeks to address concerns about the use of federal funds for healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants and the potential consequences it has on taxpayers from other states. It aims to ensure that states extending Medicaid benefits to undocumented residents bear the full financial responsibility without imposing any costs on taxpayers from other states. It also calls for an investigation into the use of federal and state funds and the impact on drug prices for American citizens. As this bill gains attention and support from Republicans, its potential impact on the ongoing immigration debate and healthcare policies will be closely watched.
