Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his revised 2025-2026 state price range throughout a information convention in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Might 14, 2025.
Wealthy Pedroncelli/AP
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Wealthy Pedroncelli/AP
Democratic governors in states providing medical insurance protection for immigrants with out authorized standing are proposing to roll again protection that they signed into legislation.
As states grapple with price range holes, efforts to restrict entry to the applications have gotten a standard thread. Debates about rolling again protection or eliminating it completely come as Congress considers a proposal that will scale back state Medicaid funds from 90% to 80% if they provide medical insurance protection to immigrants with out correct authorization.
California
On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced that he needs to freeze new enrollments for unauthorized folks 19 or older on Medi-Cal, California’s insurance coverage plan for lower-income folks, and cost a $100 month-to-month premium beginning in January 2026. There can be exceptions for pregnant folks and emergency care.
“I do not wish to be on this place, however we’re on this place,” Newsom mentioned.
California expanded Medi-Cal to incorporate all adults with out authorized standing in 2024, and 1.6 million immigrants in California presently obtain medical insurance via this system. Underneath the proposal, these already enrolled by yr’s finish would nonetheless be eligible for protection, however different adults with out authorized standing could not enroll.
Republicans, who have been towards this system’s enlargement from the beginning, have criticized Newsom for persevering with to spend on protection underneath his newest proposal.
“The governor confirmed his priorities,” mentioned California Meeting Minority Chief James Gallagher, a Republican. “He needs to proceed to spend on well being look after unlawful immigrants. Billions and billions of {dollars}.”
The Democratic governor additionally faces pushback from state lawmakers in his personal social gathering, together with members of the Latino Caucus within the Legislature, who say they’re going to battle to take care of some type of protection for these with out authorized standing throughout the remaining month of price range negotiations.
“We are able to take a look at choices for price range cuts elsewhere,” mentioned Democratic state senator Lena Gonzalez, who chairs the Legislative Latino Caucus. “We could be a little bit extra aware of how we do that with out all the time having to have a look at our most underserved communities.”
Specialists, lawmakers, and Newsom level out that the state pays for protection both means. These with out medical insurance typically search care in emergency rooms, so some lawmakers and advocates initially pushed for increasing entry so folks might have common care, like physician’s visits and prescription medicines.
In states the place lawmakers granted Medicaid entry for undocumented immigrants, hospital directors and religion teams, together with immigrant advocates, have helped push for the enlargement of advantages.
Minnesota
That is true in Minnesota, the place the proposal to strip the state’s medical insurance protection for adults within the nation with out authorization emerged as a part of a compromise price range framework.
That drew rapid opposition from some Democrats and immigrant advocates.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a city corridor assembly on the DeYor Performing Arts Middle on April 7, 2025, in Youngstown, Ohio.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Photographs North America
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Jeff Swensen/Getty Photographs North America
Thursday, a gaggle of Democratic lawmakers banged on the door to the room the place Gov. Tim Walz, a former vice presidential candidate, was laying out his price range plan with legislative leaders.
They yelled out, “You are killing our communities,” and mentioned they might vote towards the availability to make grownup immigrants with out authorized standing ineligible for MinnesotaCare, the state’s Medicaid program, in 2026. Underneath the proposed price range, kids would nonetheless be eligible for protection.
In 2023, Democrats handed a invoice granting all folks within the nation with out authorized standing entry to state-funded well being protection and Walz signed it. This system took impact in January, and greater than 20,000 folks with out authorized standing have enrolled, together with about 3,000 kids.
Walz and Democratic legislative leaders mentioned they opposed the change however needed to settle for it as a part of a price range framework. The state Legislature is sort of break up, with 101 Democrats and 100 Republicans, in order that they mentioned they wanted to simply accept the proposal that was a precedence for GOP lawmakers.
“I am not going to sugarcoat how troublesome this was,” Walz mentioned as lawmakers pounded on the door outdoors his information convention. “We did not count on everyone to be joyful on this; I believe many people compromised.”
State Home Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican, agreed that it was a compromise that might assist plug a projected $6 billion price range deficit over the subsequent 4 years.
“It is not a measure of being uncaring. It is a fiscal problem, and there are nonetheless alternatives,” Demuth mentioned. “They’ll nonetheless be a part of the personal market, so it is not that well being care is being denied in any means,” she added. “We needed to make onerous selections in that room, and once we checked out numbers and we seemed going ahead, this was a compromise that we have been all in a position to come to any negotiation. Nobody walks out utterly joyful.”
Some Democratic lawmakers who fought for this system say they’re going to oppose the rollback. With out their votes, the measure in a broader well being price range invoice might stall.
“Though we protected the youngsters, which is a really noble factor to do, these kids will lose mothers, dads, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, siblings,” mentioned Rep. Cedrick Frazier, a co-chair of the Minnesota Folks of Colour and Indigenous Caucus. “That’s what we’re confronted right here with right this moment.”
If Minnesota lawmakers cannot go a price range earlier than July 1, they might face a state authorities shutdown.
