The left-wing state of California can’t seem to find enough free things to give away to lawbreakers who illegally enter the U.S.A., and next up, the radical Democrats there are handing extremely expensive “gender affirming” care to illegals for free.
The state has released guidelines that maintain that so-called “gender affirming care” is covered under the state’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. And with the recent decision to expand Medi-Cal to all illegals, that means any illegal can get coverage for the expensive — and life-long — treatments, the Daily Caller reported.
Medi-Cal has been slowly adding more and more groupings of illegals to its eligibility list for decades. It started back in 2014 when Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown signed a bill into law that allowed children of illegals ages up to 18 to enroll in the program. Then, in 2019, state Democrats allowed young adult illegals, ages 19 to 25, to use the program. In another addition to the list, older illegals, aged 50 and older, were also opened up for the program.
Previous to all these expansions, illegals were only eligible for emergency and pregnancy-related care.
Most recently, in May of 2022, the remainder of illegals, aged 26 to 50, were also added to the freebie list, and the changes put all illegals in the state into Medi-Cal starting on Jan. 1, this year.
Gov. Newsom celebrated the massive, and expensive, expansion of Medi-Cal.
“In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage — regardless of income or immigration status,” Newsom’s office told ABC last year. “Through this expansion, we’re making sure families and communities across California are healthier, stronger, and able to get the care they need when they need it.”
It was estimated that more than 700,000 illegals are now eligible to enjoy the same Medi-Cal coverage as legal citizens.
But along with all that largess adding to budget deficits comes free “gender affirming” care, as well, because that is already a provision of Medi-Cal.
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A guideline on the subject, first issued in May of 2022, explains that gender affirming care is included, and also defines it.
“Gender affirming care is a covered Medi-Cal benefit when medically necessary. Requests for gender affirming care should be from specialists experienced in providing culturally competent care to transgender and gender diverse individuals and should use nationally recognized guidelines,” the guidelines read.
“Medical necessity is assessed and services shall be recommended by treating licensed mental health professionals and physicians and surgeons experienced in treating patients with incongruence between their gender identity and gender assigned at birth,” it says.
The expanded coverage will set the state back an additional $3.1 billion per year in healthcare costs. And it will cost $1.2 billion in just the first six months, according to the Associated Press.
This huge new obligation in spending comes just as California is mired in a $68 billion budget deficit, largely due to tax revenue decline because so many citizens and businesses have moved away from the foundering state.
Not everyone thinks this latest handout to illegals is such a great idea. Last week, Rapper 50 Cent blasted California for the new Medi-Cal expansion for illegals, writing, “I don’t understand this; this is going to cost 2.6 billion dollars for taxpayers. They don’t even give veterans health insurance.”
50 Cent thinks it will cost California taxpayers $2.6 billion after the state gives free health care to immigrants living there illegally. pic.twitter.com/XmPtrsgsxW
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) January 3, 2024
The iconoclastic rapper is right. How can a state that is drowning in some of the worst budget deficits in America hand so many millions in freebies to people who broke our laws to get here? Especially when the state already has the worst homeless population numbers in America before so many illegals even took their first step toward our border.
