The Democrat-dominated legislature of California has approved a plan to spend $213 billion in state and federal tax dollars on free healthcare for illegal immigrants.
The new plan would allow low-income illegals making about $17,000 a year between 19 and 25 years of age to join California’s Medicaid program, KHOU reported.
Democrats estimate that at least 90,000 illegal aliens would immediately qualify for the benefits at the cost of $98 million a year. The new plan also makes California the first U.S. state to give illegals free healthcare.
The plan also allows “middle income” families with incomes up to $150,000 to get up to $100 a month in subsidized healthcare. But, to supplement the funding, California is revising the Obamacare individual mandate policy by forcing citizens without any health insurance to pay a new tax.
Critics of the plan say that the estimates of a mere $93 million for the new healthcare will be dwarfed by the real expenses when millions more illegals stream to California from other states in order to get the free healthcare.
California has already extended Medicaid to illegals under 19 years of age.
The plan drew the attention of U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy who said he would look for ways to prevent federal tax dollars from going to the healthcare for illegals program. That drew rebuke from California’s left-wing Gov, Gavin Newsom.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.