Panel backs Medi-Cal coverage for those here illegally

SACRAMENTO - A lawmaker’s proposal to offer Medi-Cal coverage to immigrants living in the country without documentation made it through a key legislative committee Thursday, although the bill was significantly scaled back to benefit primarily those ages 19 and under.

SB4 by state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), was narrowed to reduce the cost by allowing older immigrants to enroll in the medical system for low-income people each year only as state funds are available to cover them.

The bill would also authorize the state to seek a federal waiver so it could extend health insurance under its Covered California exchange to immigrants in the country without documentation.

Those immigrants would be eligible only for unsubsidized insurance and would pay full price.

“Excluding people from our health care system is simply wrong,” said Lara, who is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee that approved his bill 5-2 on Thursday.

The two Republicans voted against it. “But prohibiting immigrants from even buying insurance from the state exchange with their own money is completely irrational.”

Lara has estimated that 30 percent of undocumented immigrants in the state can afford Covered California insurance without subsidies.

A similar bill by Lara stalled last year due to its $1.3 billion price tag. Cost estimates for this year’s bill were up to $740 million before it was pared down Thursday. A new estimate was not yet available.

SB4 now heads to the full state Senate for a vote next week.

On Thursday the Senate and Assembly weeded through more than 650 bills at an auctioneer-like pace in appropriations committees.

Among the bills making it through were proposals to raise the minimum smoking age to 21, allow doctors to prescribe life-ending medications to terminal patients wishing to hasten their deaths, raise the minimum wage to $11 in 2016 and $13 in 2017, and require employers to post workers’ schedules at least two weeks in advance.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez