The newly enacted state law providing free health care for all illegal immigrants residing in California is estimated to cost taxpayers between $3 billion and $6 billion per year. This estimate accounts for the expected enrollment of nearly 700,000 individuals and the range of medical services covered. Currently, there are more than 3.2 million illegal immigrants living in California, along with over 1.1 million U.S.-born children.
Together, they make up 11.1 percent of the state’s population. The cost to taxpayers for benefits provided to illegal immigrants in certain age groups in 2023 was already nearly $31 billion. Critics argue that this expenditure is unconscionable, especially considering the existing budget deficit, which Governor Gavin Newsom estimates at $38 billion, while the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office reports nearly double that amount. Critics also suggest that the influx of illegal immigrants is negatively impacting the state’s finances by replacing businesses, educated residents, and middle- and upper-class individuals.