Federal health care overhaul to strain state, legislators told

Sacramento Bee ^ | 5/13/10 | Bobby Caina Calvan

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Even after the federal health care overhaul is in place, 2 million Californians could still be left uninsured, and the budget-strapped state may find it difficult to absorb millions of others who will suddenly have coverage, experts told lawmakers Wednesday.

California has the nation's largest population of the uninsured – 7 million people.

Many of the people without health coverage will choose not to buy it – despite penalties – or are in the state illegally and will not be eligible for subsidies and other government assistance, said Marian Mulkey, a senior program officer with the California HealthCare Foundation, during testimony before a joint session of the state Senate and Assembly health committees.

In addition to the 2 million people Mulkey estimated would continue to lack coverage, another 2 million poor Californians would likely receive it under an expansion of Medi-Cal eligibility.

While the federal government will pick up the tab for the 2 million additional enrollees, the state will nevertheless find itself financially stressed to pay for its share of existing enrollees, Mulkey said.

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And these CA A-holes have the audacity to ridicule and boycott AZ for trying to deal with illegals. Stew in your own bankrupted liberal juice, CA.