The California County Medical Services Program, which provides healthcare coverage for indigent adults in 35 rural California counties, voted last Thursday to offer primary care to undocumented immigrants, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Now 47 of the state's 58 counties will provide some form of low-cost medical care to undocumented immigrants, according to the report. This covers nearly half the state's geography, primarily in the northern part of the state, but also in Imperial County, which borders Mexico. Some urban counties such as Los Angeles, Ventura and San Francisco, already provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants.
However, the state has 2.7 million immigrants who have entered the country illegally, and this group is the largest group of Californians without healthcare coverage, according to the report.
Offering health coverage in the 35 counties that participate in the County Medical Services program will help reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and the spread of communicable diseases. The changes, slated to begin next year, are expected to cost $6 million to $9 million over two years, according to the report.
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