Free Health Care for Illegal Immigrants Could Cost California Billions Per Year

Newly enacted state law providing free health care for all illegal immigrants residing in California could cost taxpayers between $3 billion and $6 billion per year, according to recent estimates by state and federal lawmakers. With expectations for nearly 700,000 individuals to gain access to the new benefits, estimates vary depending on how many people enroll and the number and type of medical services covered. More than 3.2 million illegal immigrants live in California, in addition to their more than 1.1 million U.S.-born children, according to a population study by the nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based Federation for American Immigration Reform. Together, illegal immigrants and their children represent 11.1 percent of the state’s population....