There's an estimated 2.6 million people in California who will not be allowed access to public health insurance; they are illegal immigrants, but does that make it OK?
President Barack Obama's recent health care overhaul passed by Congress means illegal immigrants in the United States are denied access to publicly subsidized health insurance, according to the New York Times.
California disagrees with the ruling.
The state has elected representatives and advocacy groups who are trying to provide preventive care for illegal immigrants, who will be the largest group remaining uninsured once the state's expanded Medicaid program is in effect.
California reportedly has 7 million people currently uninsured, more than any other state. By next January, Americans will be required by law to have medical coverage or pay a penalty, according to the universal health care mandate. California is not against the expansion of Medicaid, and the Times reported that the state has already begun "public campaigns to encourage more residents to enroll in subsidized health plans."
State officials are arguing that by not including immigrants in coverage will only cost local government, which is why they are trying to find ways to pay for preventive health care, rather than rely on emergency rooms to care for them.
According to the Times, Republicans taking part in the congressional debate about healthcare have "said they would refuse to support change if it included providing care for immigrants who have been living in the country illegally."
"California has really acknowledged that all immigrants who are here are part of our present and our future, so we need them to be healthy and included in any effort we make to expand health care," Daniel Zingale, a senior vice president with California Endowment, a health care foundation leading the charge to persuade the state to pay for comprehensive care for all immigrants, told the Times.
"It doesn't take much to figure out these people will be driving our economy in the decades to come, so it's in our interest to keep them healthy," Zingale said.
