Colorado Democrats are celebrating a new law that goes into effect Jan. 1 that extends free Medicaid coverage to pregnant undocumented immigrants and their children.
named “Covering all Coloradans”, the program provides state Medicaid funding for prenatal and postnatal care, and children's physical, dental, vision, and mental health care, with initial costs to Colorado taxpayers. It is expected to cost up to $51 million. CBS News.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis' administration is working with a list of immigrant activist groups to warn immigrants that they are eligible for the program and can register, and that immigrants' personal information or lack of legal immigration status cannot be used in the country. We guarantee that it will not be provided to the administrator. .
Denver Health Program Manager Brian Rodriguez said that as the Trump administration gears up for January, he and his operatives are rushing to reassure immigrants that their immigration status will not be used against them. said.
“Under current Colorado law, the privacy of customers applying for these public benefits is protected,” Rodriguez explained.
But many state Republicans, who unsuccessfully voted against this Medicaid expansion when the bill passed in 2022, have always been concerned about the program's huge costs.
“We Coloradans and our legislators are going to have to deal with how to pay for this, and it's going to be four times more than we expected two years ago,” the Republican said. State Rep. Soper said, adding that many people are actually seeing their benefits cut due to budget restrictions.
“Illegal immigrants should not be provided with programs and services that we do not provide to our citizens in the state of Colorado,” Soper exclaimed.
Colorado is not alone in seeing these costs rise. Providing free health care to illegal immigrants costs the United States billions of dollars each year.
november 2023 report An estimated $451 billion a year is tied to the Biden administration's border crisis, with the bulk of that spending going to health care for undocumented immigrants, according to a report released by the House Homeland Security Committee.
Although the majority of illegal immigrants do not have insurance, they are free to rack up debt during long-term hospitalizations. Many people also qualify for government welfare, including Medicaid. All illegal immigrants have to do is cross the southern border into California and obtain taxpayer-funded insurance.
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