California spends $13 billion a year on full-scope Medicaid for citizens of other countries.

Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Aug 10, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictFalse

Sources: 3 contradict4 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026

The $13 billion figure matches no source. The sources put California's state-funded cost of covering undocumented immigrants at about $8.5 billion a year from the general fund (CalMatters, IJPR, 2025) and about $6.4 billion total for roughly 1.5 million enrollees (KVPR, 2024), so $13 billion is roughly double the total estimate.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… would say is what, you know, national Democrats, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and particularly, have said is an unacceptable area of spending, and that is full scope medical, uh, Medicaid, as it's known across the country, for citizens of other countries. Now, that's, that's about $13 billion a year in California. Um Even Gavin Newsom has said that's, you know, gone too far, and they're now reducing eligibility for that. I just think that when Californians are struggling to pay healthcare costs, it's just not a acceptable use of money, and national Democrats agree with that. So Democrats absolutely deserve some of the blame for California's affordability problem. …

On with Kara Swisher · Aug 10, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. The state-funded cost of full-scope Medi-Cal for immigrants without legal status is reported at about $8.5 billion a year from the general fund, well short of $13 billion.[4][5]

Contradicts. KVPR reports the total cost of Medi-Cal for about 1.5 million unauthorized immigrants at an estimated $6.4 billion, according to the Department of Health Care Services, roughly half the claimed figure.[6]

Context. Earlier estimates were lower still: the 2023 expansion for adults 26 to 49 was projected at $3.1 billion per year, and the Pacific Research Institute's total of $4 billion is also below $13 billion.[1][7]

Context. Newsom has proposed freezing enrollment and the 2026-27 budget restricts immigrant eligibility, which matches the claim's point about reducing eligibility.[2][3][5]

Context. No source gives a $13 billion figure for California's spending on this population, and the claim's 'citizens of other countries' wording departs from the sources' description of undocumented immigrants.