Sense on Immigrant Health Aid

When he was governor, Pete Wilson was of two minds and hearts on the issue of prenatal care: He launched a series of farsighted initiatives aimed at improving prenatal and well-baby care about the same time that he was striving to end state-funded care for poor pregnant women who were illegal immigrants. The courts blocked that hard-hearted effort.

Gov. Gray Davis has wisely--and quickly--taken another course, restoring $60 million for prenatal care of indigent illegal immigrants in his budget plan for the coming fiscal year. As with any budget item, he will need the Legislature’s approval, and he is already taking some heat on his decision from conservatives. But with Democratic majorities in both houses and the expected support of some Republicans, the prospects for passage are good.

Children born in the United States to immigrants are American citizens and entitled to the full range of health services for the poor, regardless of the mother’s immigration status. For every dollar the state spends on prenatal care it saves an estimated $3 later in infant health care costs.

As many as 70,000 illegal immigrants a year use state-funded prenatal services. The $60 million funded for these services represents a tiny fraction of the $78-billion state budget. But the care can be critical; babies’ lives might well hang on it. Prenatal care can help in a number of problems, including low birth weight and gestational diabetes.

Davis justified his policy as being directed by the court decisions rejecting cuts made during the Wilson administration. We see the motivation also as his caring and common sense.