Democratic governors are advocating for the cancellation of state-funded health care for undocumented immigrants as they seek to reduce funding for such services

ABC News

A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants.
The latest development came in Minnesota on Tuesday, after both chambers of the Legislature passed a bill to end state-funded health care for undocumented adults.
Trump also signed an executive order this year targeting undocumented immigrants’ access to government assistance programs.
“As states increasingly have recognized, a community’s health and well-being depend on ensuring that everyone has access to health care.
They said they could face a backlash from their base by departing from positions on supporting immigrant communities and expanding health care.

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In recent weeks, three states with Democratic governors who are considered as possible presidential candidates in 2028 have taken action to reduce or freeze government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Governors. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gavin Newsom of California, and JB Pritzker of Illinois have primarily blamed the proposals on budget deficits resulting from initial plans to provide health care to undocumented immigrants.

The actions, however, also take place in the midst of a larger discussion within the Democratic Party about immigration policy, which hurt the party in the previous election and has been exploited by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party ever since.

Progressives and immigrant advocacy groups are incensed at the plans, which would reduce health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in the three Democratic-led states just years after it was expanded. They warn the party runs the risk of alienating its base, especially as nationwide protests against Trump’s deportation plans take place.

The most recent development occurred in Minnesota on Tuesday, when a bill to stop state-funded health care for adults without documentation was approved by both houses of the Legislature.

As part of efforts to balance the state budget, the Democrats-controlled Senate and Republicans-controlled House supported the bipartisan effort. Walz now gets it, and he has promised to sign it.

It would effectively reverse one of the signature policy victories Walz won during a historic legislative session in 2023, when Democrats controlled the state government. The bill would eliminate undocumented adults’ eligibility for MinnesotaCare, the state-funded health insurance program for low-income residents. Under the law, children without documentation would still be able to sign up for the program.

In a sharp break from his pledges to provide universal health care for all Californians, regardless of their immigration status, Newsom in California last month unveiled a budget plan that would reduce health care benefits for undocumented immigrants.

Undocumented adults’ enrollment in the state’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, will be frozen as part of Newsom’s 2025–2026 budget plan. Newsom’s office has stated that the freeze, which would start next year, would not affect those enrolled in limited plans and that the changes would only affect new applicants over the age of 19. They have also stated that current enrollees would not be removed from their plans.

A new $100 monthly premium for adults 19 and older with “unsatisfactory immigration status” would be implemented starting in 2027 as part of Newsom’s proposed changes.

Much more has been spent on Medi-Cal expansion than his administration had budgeted. The adjustments, according to Newsom, will aid in balancing the state budget, which has experienced a multibillion-dollar deficit that he has attributed to Trump’s tariffs and rising Medi-Cal enrollment costs.

By the end of the month, Illinois is still on track to terminate the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, which offers state-funded health insurance coverage to over 30,000 low-income adults who are undocumented and reside in the state.

Likewise, when the Illinois program was established in 2021, it turned out to be more costly than anticipated. The Democratic-led Legislature passed Pritzker’s most recent budget last month, which called for its abolition by July 1.

Adults, regardless of their immigration status, are covered by health insurance in at least four other states. No matter their immigration status, a number of other states provide health care coverage for children, as Minnesota, Illinois, and California will if these new plans are implemented.

California, Illinois, and Minnesota would benefit from the budget adjustments, but a comprehensive domestic policy bill supported by Trump that is currently in Congress calls for cutting Medicaid funding for states that offer health insurance coverage to undocumented immigrants. Additionally, Trump issued an executive order this year that targets the access of undocumented immigrants to government assistance programs.

Elana Ross, the spokesperson for Newsom, responded to inquiries from NBC News by restating his claim that “instead of rolling back the program — meaning cutting people off for basic care — we’re capping it” when he first announced the changes last month. “”.

“This year, passing a balanced budget required the difficult decision that reflects the reality of Trump and Republicans tanking our national economy and attempting to strip away healthcare,” according to an email from Pritzker’s office. “”.

Questions concerning Minnesota’s plan, which was the outcome of a compromise after Republican lawmakers pushed to terminate the entire MinnesotaCare program, were not answered by a Walz representative.

After reaching a tentative agreement with Republicans on the budget last month, which was finalized in a special session this week, Walz declared, “No one got everything they wanted.”. “Difficult discussions concerning topics that were important to each of these caucuses took place. Ultimately, however, we were able to reach this consensus. “”.

From the left, blow back.

Advocacy groups for immigrants have criticized the actions, claiming they run the risk of endangering the health care system as a whole. They have also criticized Democrats for giving in to Trump’s attacks.

Tanya Broder, senior counsel for health and economic justice policy at the National Immigration Law Center, stated, “We urge state leaders to build on their progress, rather than endanger the health of their residents.”. “We are depending on state officials to act morally and maintain the line, especially as radical politicians use immigrants as a scapegoat and target them.

“As states have come to realize more and more, providing access to healthcare is essential to the health and well-being of a community. Many immigrants are denied access to vital health care programs, despite paying billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes, she continued. “Canceling state coverage for immigrants will jeopardize the health care system that supports us all as well as our collective health. “.”.

According to polling, immigration is still one of Trump’s top issues. Some progressives questioned whether the actions were part of a larger plan by the three governors to shift to the right on this issue.

They warned that straying from their stances on bolstering immigrant communities and extending health care could provoke resentment from their base.

Jennifer Driver, senior director at the State Innovation Exchange, a progressive legislative policy group, said, “It really feeds into the conservative narrative that undocumented immigrants are a drain on our communities.”. It is a mistake, in my opinion, to assume that by shifting more to the center or to the right, you will be able to re-engage some people.

“This kind of waffling, this kind of idea that ‘OK, yes, we are progressive — but only in certain moments,’ is what you’re seeing in the Democratic base,” Driver continued.

Other strategists stressed that the dangers blue states face from Trump are severe, but they said it was too soon to determine whether a larger change was occurring as governors and other lawmakers positioned themselves for possible 2028 White House runs.

Jeff Blodgett, a Democratic strategist from Minnesota who served as the late senator’s campaign manager, claimed that the Trump administration was “squeezing the hell out of states.”. The state director for both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns was Paul Wellstone. Budgets, both present and future, are a major source of worry because of what the federal government is doing to the states. “”.

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