Brickbat: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

California's decision to expand Medi-Cal, its Medicaid program, to cover undocumented migrants has led to significantly higher costs than expected. The program's price tag has soared to $9.5 billion this year—way over the $6.4 billion estimate from just last year—with $8.4 billion coming from state taxpayers. Meanwhile, in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed cutting $330 million from a similar healthcare expansion for the undocumented after a state audit showed costs ballooned to $1.6 billion since 2020, far exceeding the initial $220 million forecast. Both states are grappling with budget shortfalls, and while California's costs are driven by higher enrollment and expenses like pharmacy costs, Illinois faces issues with inaccurate projections and improper enrollment, with services for some groups exceeding initial projections by as much as 280 percent.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Virtue signaling is its own reward.

[Chipper Chunked Chile Con Congress (ex NCW)]

If the taxpayers of California and Illinois didn't want to pay for the healthcare of illegals, they wouldn't have voted to do so.

[TJJ2000]

Precisely the problem with Collectivism over Individualism.

[Thought about __ all my life]

Hillary-type thinking gave us many of our worst problems

"We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

"God bless the America we are trying to create."

"I have to confess that it's crossed my mind that you could not be a Republican and a Christian."

"I'm not going to put my lot in with economists." —Clinton after being asked by George Stephanopoulos about economists' claims that her gas tax holiday proposal would not bring down gas prices.

ONE OF THE STUPIDEST PRE_KAMALA WOMEN

[Thought about __ all my life]

Biden gave a dying regime of intense money waste --- he gave them more money to make sure they could waste and waste and waste.

CA had a horrendous unfunded liability and then Biden dumped billions of Covid money on them. Anybody know what happened there? I do not

[Chumby]

A local add says proposed cuts to govt funded healthcare could result in up to 60% of children in the state losing access to insurance. If it is already that bad, cut all the programs and let Darwin sort it out.

[jimc5499]

Notice how it's always "the children". Bullshit.

[rbike]

Send them more illegals.

[Jerry B.]

Good.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money

[TJJ2000]

^THIS [phone]

[Idaho-Bob]

I've been told there are no downsides to illegal immigration. Literally everything is a net gain except crime. Crime only goes down when excessive illegals are around.

[MWAocdoc]

Do you people ever get tired of raising straw men? No one EVER told you that there are no downsides to illegal immigration. But by all means keep looking idiotic in public if you can pretend that it makes you look clever ...

[Longtobefree]

While there is no free lunch, there are many 7 course dinners we can make the taxpayer pay for.

[Medulla Oblongata]

I'm shocked! Shocked! That government programs for illegal aliens would cost so much. I was told that illegal aliens are 100% net positive!

[MWAocdoc]

MedOb: do you understand the concept of "net?" Is it possible for you to comprehend that illegal aliens can be a net positive for the nation while at the same time being a burden on California taxpayers due to stupid California politicians? No, probably not ...

[MWAocdoc]

I guess we should be glad that most states are constitutionally forbidden from deficit spending and can't print their own money. The camel's nose inside the tent happened when the Federal government gave itself the authority to tax incomes on all people, bypassing the states. That gave the Federal government the power to give some of that tax money back to the hostages "with strings attached" (as in, "Do what you're told if you want some of your money back") but only for a while. Once the Federal government started spending more and ever more, borrowing and printing to cover the growing deficits the Ponzi scheme started to collapse. The rest is history.

[Bobster0]

Don't forget the cost of the grifting. I bet more than half is going to people in the system "getting a taste."

[Will Seth]

Everybody needs a little taste.

[Longtobefree]

Far too many have little taste - - - - - - -

[TJJ2000]

"You see", says Reason, "It all makes sense if you just change the NEG to POS of paper."

"The immigrant population isn't costing the US anything. They're all just working hard to enrich US citizens."

LOL.... Seems the Reason 'Immigrants RULE!' flag-ship is sinking on it's own accord.

[holmegm]

Huh. It's almost as if unlimited immigration and a desire for small government are at odds ...