California’s economy depends on undocumented immigrants. They have earned health care

California’s economy depends on the labor of undocumented immigrants. They do some of the hardest and most dangerous jobs for the lowest rates of pay.

Their labor contributes billions of dollars to the economy and undergirds entire sectors, like agriculture, which would be impossible to sustain without them.

Undocumented immigrants also pay billions of dollars in taxes every year.

“Like other California residents, undocumented immigrants pay taxes that support state and local services,” wrote the California Budget & Policy Center in 2019. “The state’s undocumented immigrants are estimated to pay more than $3 billion annually in state and local taxes.”

That’s why it makes so much sense to extend health care benefits to the undocumented. Given their critical role in our economy, and their contributions to our society as a whole, they have certainly earned access to the fundamental right of health care.

Two bills pending in the California State Legislature will finally give undocumented adults access to health care.

“One of the bills, Assembly Bill 4, would expand Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, to low-income adults, ages 26 and over, regardless of their immigration status,” wrote Kim Bojórquez of The Sacramento Bee. “The other bill, Senate Bill 56, seeks to expand coverage for undocumented seniors, ages 65 and over.”

These bills would build on previous efforts that extended Medi-Cal access to undocumented immigrants under the age of 26. In 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown expanded Medi-Cal access to undocumented youth under the age of 18 when he signed SB 75. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom followed up by signing a budget bill that expanded Medi-Cal access to everyone under age 26, including undocumented immigrants.

The new bills would fill in the sizable gap left by those two bills, extending Medi-Cal coverage to 1 million income-eligible undocumented Californians regardless of their age. The move is especially critical after a year during which Latinos suffered the most because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Latinos constitute 40% of California’s population but account for 55.5% of the state’s COVID cases and 46.5% of COVID-related deaths, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. Most of California’s undocumented immigrants are Latino.

“Seniors and Latinos have been the most at risk and vulnerable,” State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, told The Bee. “Undocumented seniors should not wait any longer.”

“This pandemic has further exacerbated both the racial and ethnic health disparities, while it’s made clear that access to comprehensive health care is both necessary and essential for every resident of our state,” said Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, who is a doctor by profession.

Doing the right thing isn’t cheap. Expanding Medi-Cal access could cost up to $2.6 billion a year, according to an analysis by the Legislative Analyst’s Office. But that’s the price of living in a moral society that honors essential workers by respecting their fundamental human right to health care.

Providing health care for the undocumented is also popular, according to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. “About 58% of likely California voters told researchers they were in favor of providing health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in California, compared to 39% of likely voters who opposed it,” wrote Bojórquez.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom avoided action, citing an expected budget shortfall. Yet California unexpectedly finds itself with a surplus thanks to the fact that the state’s richest residents have only gotten richer during the pandemic.

“Folks at the top are doing pretty damn well,” Newsom said while unveiling his proposed state budget in January.

At a time when those at the top of the economic period are doing better than ever, we can clearly afford health care for the most vulnerable workers who put food on our tables and uphold our economy.

If not now, then when? If not Newsom — who campaigned on a promise of “California for all” — then who?