A California Senate Committee Monday will consider the financial feasibility of allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain full health coverage. As Capital Public Radio's Health Care Reporter Pauline Bartolone tells us, Medi-Cal already pays for some health services.
The "Health For All Act" would allow lower-income undocumented immigrants to sign up for full Medi-Cal coverage. It would allow others to buy health insurance completely on their own.
Right now, undocumented immigrants receive limited coverage, mostly for urgent situations. Rene Mollow is with the California Department of Health Care Services.
Mollow: "They're typically eligible for what we call emergency-only services or for pregnancy-related services. There may be some individuals that may also receive long term care services, as well as services that we provide through the program that is known as the breast and cervical cancer treatment program."
Last fiscal year, Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants cost over a billion dollars. The federal government covered about half that.
Consumer advocates say the Health For All Act would cover people for preventive services, hospital stays and prescription drugs. They say it would increase the state's costs, but it would be a better use of health care dollars.