SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State Sen. María Elena Durazo is urging California lawmakers to reverse proposed cuts to health care coverage for undocumented immigrants after Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised 2026-27 state budget last week.
The May Revision “does not reverse the Medi-Cal enrollment freeze for undocumented Californians — and goes further, raising the monthly premium for enrolled undocumented adults from $30 to $50,” according to a press release from Durazo, who represents the 26th Senate District, including Central Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, East Los Angeles and the city of Vernon.
The May Revision proposes changes that will affect undocumented Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal. Durazo explained that these changes would consist of “the monthly premium for adults with unsatisfactory immigration status ages 19-59 increas[ing] from $30 to $50. The enrollment freeze first imposed in the 2025-26 budget remains in place. Individuals who lose coverage cannot reenroll past 90 days, even if they are otherwise income-eligible.”
According to Western Center on Law & Poverty, some of the other ramifications include “instead of using state funds as California has long done for other immigrants, Governor Newsom maintains his proposal to limit Medi-Cal coverage for refugees, asylees, certain domestic violence and trafficking survivors, Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghan and Iraq, and more, effective July 1, 2027 (instead of 9 months earlier as originally proposed).”
The Western Center on Law & Poverty emphasized that “the proposed budget would move these people to restricted-scope Medi-Cal, which forces people to wait until their health becomes a life-threatening emergency to get care,” posing serious risks to the community.
The revision “maintains the cruel health care cuts proposed in January and expands upon it by drastically reducing the Medi-Cal asset limit back to $2,000, which forces older adults and people with disabilities to impoverish themselves to access Medi-Cal,” according to the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
Durazo, who authored the Medi-Cal Access Restoration Act, SB 1422, issued a statement addressing the proposed budget cuts, beginning by highlighting that “undocumented Californians are already under assault from the Trump Administration — facing deportation threats, workplace raids, and federal policies designed to strip away every support system they have.”
Durazo continued, stating that “these are people who contribute $8.5 billion in state and local taxes every year. They have earned access to the safety-net programs their own tax dollars support. This May Revision is a missed opportunity.”
Emphasizing the importance of SB 1422, she added that “California’s hospitals and clinics are on the precipice. Federal cuts from H.R. 1 are already hitting hard, and this revised budget compounds that pressure. When people lose coverage and cannot get back on within the short grace period, they have no option but the emergency room — at twelve times the cost of a routine visit. That cost lands on counties, on hospitals, and on all Californians. Raising premiums will push more enrolled Californians off coverage and make this cost shift worse.”
Durazo concluded her statement by saying she is “still carrying SB 1422. The legislative path is open. What we need now is the political will to fund it in the final budget. The people we are fighting for harvest our food, build our homes, and care for our families. They deserve access to the care their taxes already pay for.”
The Medi-Cal Access Restoration Act, SB 1422, “would end the enrollment freeze and restore full-scope Medi-Cal access for undocumented Californians ages 19 and older beginning January 1, 2027. The bill passed the Senate Health Committee on April 8 and the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 14. It continues to move through the legislative process,” according to Durazo.
Durazo additionally noted that “SB 1422 is co-sponsored by Health4All, the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, the California Immigrant Policy Center, and Health Access California.”
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