Image 01 Image 03

California withdraws request allowing illegal immigrants Obamacare access

California withdraws request allowing illegal immigrants Obamacare access

“The first California casualty of the Trump presidency.”

In the tense political maneuvering between California’s progressive representatives and the Trump administration, our state may have just blinked first.

The repeal and replacement of Obamacare has been one the most consistent promises of President Donald Trump during his successful campaign. And, controlling illegal immigration has been just about the biggest plank in Trump’s platform.

So, in the height of the general election campaign, our state’s politicians decided it would be a great idea to be the first state to offer Obamacare to illegal immigrants.

In a Sept. 30 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Covered California’s Executive Director Peter Lee said that the Affordable Care Act has been “tremendously successful” in the state and has cut the rate of uninsured in half.

“While millions of Californians have benefited from coverage purchased through the Covered California marketplace, certain individuals are prohibited from buying insurance through our state marketplace due to their immigration status,” Lee wrote, before requesting the waiver.

Fast-forward to this month, when Governor Jerry Brown (who threatened to build state-sponsored satellites to thwart Trump’s policies), announces a $1.9 billion deficit due to a Medi-Cal accounting error and the fact that tax revenues were lower than expected.

The administration discovered accounting mistakes last fall, but it did not notify lawmakers until the administration included adjustments to make up for the errors in Brown’s budget proposal last week. The Democratic governor called for more than $3 billion in cuts because of a projected deficit he pegged at $1.6 billion.

…Brown’s deficit projection was driven by more than just the accounting error, Palmer said, noting that California tax collections came in below expectations for most of the first half of the fiscal year.

The massive hole in the Medi-Cal budget surprised state lawmakers.

“It makes you wonder what else is not right. … When something like this happens, the trust factor gets eroded, and you lose confidence in what’s being provided to you,” said Sen. John Moorlach, a Republican from Costa Mesa who serves on the Senate budget committee.

Making up for the Medi-Cal shortfall will mean the state can’t spend money on other priorities, such as college scholarships or paying down long-term pension liabilities, Moorlach said.

And you also can’t spend money on marketing or arranging for health insurance for illegal immigrants.

California officials withdrew a request Wednesday to let illegal immigrants buy unsubsidized insurance policies after learning the decision would fall to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, called the move “the first California casualty of the Trump presidency.”

The first, but not the last.

Trump = 1; California = 0.

I think we can consider this California’s inauguration gift to President Trump. I am certain our state will be on the losing end of Trump’s winning streak for some time to come.

DONATE

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.

Comments

I hope this is the first of multiple retreats our unhinged leftist California government will be forced to make because of Trump.

to let illegal immigrants buy unsubsidized insurance policies

Huh?

I have no problem with illegals—or anybody else—buying unsubsidized anything.

It’s the subsidized policies which hit the poor abused taxpayers in their wallets.

Is Moonbeam really unaware that legitimate commerce and crime are different animals?

    MattMusson in reply to tom swift. | January 20, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    If it is illegal to ask if someone is illegal – how will you avoid selling them subsidized insurance?

      userpen in reply to MattMusson. | January 20, 2017 at 2:04 pm

      Why do you think they want to come here? Once they put their illegal foot across the border, they are subsidized till the day they day die; and then their children, their children’s children and their children, ad infinitum.

      Observer in reply to MattMusson. | January 20, 2017 at 2:15 pm

      You won’t, which is the whole reason for forbidding asking the question in the first place.

California realized that the Federal Government will not pay for the expansion. They would have to pick up the tab themselves.

    Elliott in reply to MattMusson. | January 21, 2017 at 7:24 am

    That is exactly what happened. It is over signing up illegal aliens to MediCal which is paid for in part by the US tax system as a whole and partly by California taxpayers. To get states to expand Medicaid to more people (MediCal is CA version) in the start up of Obamacare more of the costs in the early years were born by the feds. As the years progress the costs gradually shift to the state tax payers. The costs NOW in 2017 would crush California. So when push comes to shove illegal aliens are NOT a priority like the state has claimed. Decades of cost-shifting are ending.

buckeyeminuteman | January 20, 2017 at 2:35 pm

Already making America great

thalesofmiletus | January 20, 2017 at 4:19 pm

Why do illegals need insurance when they can get treatment at an ER gratis?

    They want/need more than ER services. Heart surgery, cancer treatment, home care for disabled children, etc are not provided in the ER. That is what they wanted and what they were promised by the CA legislature who now cannot afford it.

Perhaps the high-speed rail to nowhere is next…

Correction: Trump 1, Calif legal citizens 1, Jerry Brown and illegals 0