Tag Archives: indigent care program

Natividad (center) is a farm worker and indigent care patient who struggles to take care of her diabetes and high blood pressure.

Living in the Shadows: California County Seeks to Eliminate Health Safety Net for the Undocumented

For 30 years, the Fresno County government, in California’s Central Valley, has been one of a few in the state to cover specialized healthcare costs for low-income people who have no health insurance, despite their immigration status. The county was forced to offer this coverage through a lawsuit in 1984. Now, Fresno County is once again before a judge, asking for the legal obligation to be lifted, arguing that the majority of the patients in this program are now insured, thanks to Medicaid expansion. Most of those that would be left unprotected are undocumented. Our reporter Farida Jhabvala Romero has more details from Fresno. This story is part of Living in the Shadows, a result of the Reporting on Health Collaborative.

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