Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has introduced the Protect Medicaid Act that would nix taxpayer dollars from other states funding healthcare benefits being provided to illegal immigrants in leftist states.

Cassidy sits on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee and intends to put forth the bill on Thursday.

“If a state opts to extend Medicaid benefits to undocumented residents, the bill mandates that the state bears the full financial responsibility without imposing any costs on taxpayers from other states,” Fox News reported.

“While federal law already prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid, certain states, such as California, circumvent this restriction by using state funds from their public healthcare system, known as Medi-Cal, to extend Medicaid benefits to individuals without legal immigration status,” the media outlet added.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

Cassidy believes that forcing Americans to fund the healthcare of illegal aliens in a given state will only provide an added incentive for them to cross the border and go to that state illegally.

“Medicaid for migrants will be a magnet for more people to come to that state illegally,” Cassidy told Fox News in an interview. “As well as running up their state debt.”

The legislation would allegedly stop the comingling of federal and state funds concerning Medicaid. It would ostensibly prevent leftists from circumventing the law in order to cater to illegal immigrants.

“The bill seeks to require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate how states offering Medicaid services to illegal individuals maintain the separation of federal and state funds. The review would also examine whether these states employ loophole strategies like provider taxes and intergovernmental transfers to manipulate federal dollars. Additionally, it assesses if individuals without legal status benefit from covered outpatient drugs, and whether this affects prices for American citizens,” Fox News noted.

Today, I led @MarshaBlackburn, @SenJohnBarrasso, @SenatorWicker, & @SenHydeSmith in introducing the Protect Medicaid Act to ensure liberal states don’t force hardworking Americans to subsidize Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants.

It is a magnet for MORE illegal immigration. https://t.co/vUhreO0HBx

— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) January 11, 2024

“In the Golden State, nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants between the ages of 26 and 49 qualify, as of Jan. 1, for healthcare services, which will cost California taxpayers an estimated $3.1 billion. For those living in California illegally within this age range, it translates to approximately $4,058 per year in medical coverage subsidies funded by the state’s general fund,” the outlet further pointed out.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has recently announced that his state would begin providing healthcare coverage to many more illegal immigrants in addition to the 1.1 million already in the Medi-Cal system. Over a third of the state’s population of 39 million is enrolled in the Medi-Cal program. It covers controversial procedures such as hormone therapy and sex change surgeries as well as other transgender procedures.

California is officially the first state to offer health insurance for all undocumented immigrants as of Jan. 1, according to ABC News.

“Starting Jan. 1, all undocumented immigrants, regardless of age, will qualify for Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program for people with low incomes,” the outlet reported.

“This historic investment speaks to California’s commitment to health care as a human right,” California State Sen. María Elena Durazo said in a statement in May.

NEW: California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom just announced that California would begin providing health care coverage to an additional 764,000 illegal immigrants on top of the 1.1 million already in the Medi-Cal system, California’s version of Medicaid.

The latest expansion… pic.twitter.com/kirWhjNB8v

— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) January 6, 2024

Newsom is crowing over the coverage although his state purportedly does not have the funds to cover the expansion of Medi-Cal.

“In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage – regardless of income or immigration status,” Newsom’s office said in a statement given to ABC News. “Through this expansion, we’re making sure families and communities across California are healthier, stronger, and able to get the care they need when they need it.”

“Medi-Cal is already strained by serving 14.6 million Californians – more than a third of the state’s population. Adding 764,000 more individuals to the system will certainly exacerbate current provider access problems,” the California Senate Republican Caucus wrote last year.

“The bill comes as from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, over 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border, the highest total for a single month ever recorded. It also marked the first time monthly migrant encounters surpassed 300,000,” Fox News reported.

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