SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make California the first state to cover everyone under its Medicaid plan regardless of their immigration status. It’s part of his effort to address what he termed five of the most populous state’s “biggest challenges” in a $286 billion budget proposal Monday.
They include the surging coronavirus pandemic; wildfires and drought worsened by global warming; homelessness; income inequality; and public safety, including combatting a recent flurry of coordinated smash-and-grab robberies.
The state already covers younger and older low income residents who are in the country illegally. Now Newsom wants state lawmakers to cover the remainder.