SACRAMENTO, California – California Gov. Gavin Newsom promised he would not solve the state’s budget deficit by stripping health insurance from low-income adults living in the country without legal permission, calling the state’s policy “something I believe in.”
But Newsom would eliminate an important health benefit for some low-income immigrants with disabilities, angering his allies who now accuse the second-term governor of breaking his word.
California was one of the first states to offer free health insurance to all low-income adults, regardless of their immigration status. The multibillion-dollar project, completed in January, made more than 1 million people eligible for California’s Medicaid program, including many people who had never before had health insurance.
Now, just five months later and with California facing an estimated $45 billion deficit, Newsom wants the state to stop paying for caregivers to come into the homes of some people with disabilities — who live in the country without legal permission — to help. them cooking. , cleaning and other tasks so they can stay out of nursing homes. Everyone else would keep this benefit.
The Newsom administration says it would save about $94 million and impact fewer than 3,000 people of the more than 15 million enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. But eliminating the benefit would also prevent thousands of people from becoming eligible in the future.
Newom’s proposal “is a betrayal,” said David Kane, an attorney at the Western Center on Law and Poverty. Ronald Coleman Baeza, managing director of policy at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, called it “indefensible” and compared the proposal to a notorious 1990s ballot proposal that sought to prevent immigrants from accessing assistance programs. governmental.
“I think this could set us back toward treating the undocumented as different,” said state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat who has pushed for Medicaid expansion for years.
Newsom’s proposal for immigrants would impact a benefit known as in-home support services, which are becoming more expensive for the state to provide. The average hourly wage for caregivers has increased by 6% since 2014. And as of this year, with the expiration of some of the emergency federal funding provided during the pandemic, there have been cost increases of about $200 million.
Once people qualify for the program, they can hire their own caregiver. It is often a relative, which means the program often functions as financial assistance for families.
Marvin Estela Pineda, a 42-year-old woman originally from El Salvador who now lives in California’s Central Valley, lost her vision at age 30 because of glaucoma. She began receiving in-home support services earlier this year.
Her daughter, Mayde Pineda, said the government pays her $16.50 an hour for a total of 84 hours a month to care for her mother, which includes things like cooking, cleaning and laundry. Mayde Pineda, 22, said the money helped stabilize her family financially while she finished college.
“Without (this program) I will not be able to care for her without significant difficulties,” said Mayde Pineda.
The California Department of Social Services, which administers the program, said it would work “to mitigate any negative impacts to individuals currently assisted,” which includes helping them find other government-funded programs that can provide similar services. One option would be Medi-Cal’s community adult services program, which pays for things like personal care, food and professional nursing services.
Asked to comment on his proposal, the governor’s office highlighted comments made by Newsom earlier this month when he announced his budget plan that included a series of painful cuts.
“We don’t find any joy in it – but we have to do it, we have to be responsible. We have to be responsible. We have to balance the budget,” Newsom said.
Newsom, for much of his tenure, basked in the praise of progressives as he used a series of historic surpluses to expand government services. But back-to-back multimillion-dollar deficits are forcing Newsom to make some difficult choices that have put him on a collision course with some of his most vocal supporters.
Navigating these conflicts will be critical for Newsom, who has been building his national profile ahead of a potential presidential campaign. So far, Newsom has moved quickly to address them. When the state’s largest teachers union ran ads criticizing him for proposed cuts to education, Newsom struck a deal with them that resolved many of his concerns. This agreement still needs to be approved by the state Legislature.
Other negotiations will be more difficult. Newsom’s health care proposal for immigrants is just one of many proposed cuts to the state’s vast array of social services programs.
The state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, plans to pass its own version of the budget by June 15 that would restore nearly all of those cuts, including cuts to health care for some immigrants. Their plan does this by raising a temporary tax increase on businesses while cutting about $1 billion from the state’s prison budget.
“We have ensured that the budget is not balanced for our most vulnerable populations,” said Rep. Corey Jackson, a Democrat from Moreno Valley.
Newsom and legislative leaders will negotiate a final spending plan in the coming weeks, with the goal of passing a budget at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. As the Legislature votes on the budget, Newsom has a lot of influence. He decides whether the budget will be enacted into law. California lawmakers have rarely overridden a governor’s veto.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
