The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" Ryan_Fournier_Headshot/f5bb451859976418c0a8c78e0ef5e35d.jpg\\") ![](\\" Ryan_Fournier_Headshot/b5db988837ffe25355f2fe2e950da9d1.jpg\\") Ryan Fournier stated on October 20, 2019 in a tweet: \"Starting January 1, 2020, California will tax legal citizens if they don’t have health insurance. Why? The state needs to come up with $98,000,000 to pay for free health insurance for illegal aliens.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Immigration * Health Care * Homeland Security * Facebook Fact-checks * Ryan Fournier ![\\"California](\\" California Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his first state budget during a news conference Jan. 10, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli) ![\\"Miriam](\\" By Miriam Valverde October 30, 2019 # California’s health mandate penalty and coverage of immigrants in the state illegally, explained A leader of a student group that supports President Donald Trump claimed that California is \"putting illegals first\" when it comes to health care. \"Starting January 1, 2020, California will tax legal citizens if they don’t have health insurance. Why? The state needs to come up with $98,000,000 to pay for free health insurance for illegal aliens. Why do Democrat’s (sic) keep putting illegals first?\" tweeted Ryan Fournier, founder and co-chairman of Students for Trump. > Starting January 1, 2020, California will tax legal citizens if they don’t > have health insurance.Why?The state needs to come up with $98,000,000 to pay > for free health insurance for illegal aliens. Why do Democrat’s keep putting > illegals first? 🤔 > > — Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) October 20, 2019 A screenshot of the tweet was posted on Facebook Oct. 21. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) Fournier told PolitiFact his claim was based on two June articles, one from a TV station in Los Angeles and the other from USA Today. The KTLA article said the California legislature voted to tax Californians who don’t have health coverage starting Jan. 1, 2020. The USA Today story said California would become the first state to offer health coverage to low-income adults living illegally in the country and that the plan would cost $98 million. Overall, the state does plan to impose a tax penalty on people without health care insurance, and it also plans to expand coverage for immigrants living illegally in the state. But the two moves aren’t directly related. Revenues from the tax will go toward subsidies to help Californians reduce the cost of their health care coverage. Other revenues are being used to pay for health care for unauthorized immigrants. California’s health care mandate A new mandate in California, effective Jan. 1, 2020, will require Californians to have health insurance throughout the year. Californians who don’t have health coverage in 2020 — and who don’t qualify for exemptions — would have to pay a penalty in 2021 when they file their 2020 state income tax return. The requirement is modeled after the individual mandate that was included in the federal Affordable Care Act, but effectively eliminated by Congress after Trump took office. California’s penalty is expected to generate about $317 million beginning in 2020-2021, said an Oct. 17 report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the California legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor. Those revenues will help offset the cost of new state subsidies that will be available to Californian households with incomes up to 600% of the federal poverty level, said the report. The subsidies were created to help households reduce the cost of health care coverage bought through the state’s health insurance marketplace, Covered California. \"To the extent that any penalty is collected, all of that money is going to fund additional affordability assistance in Covered California,\" said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a health care consumer advocacy coalition. The subsidies will go \"to legally residing Californians up and down the income stream, including those above 400% of the poverty level that otherwise would not qualify for assistance,\" Wright said. The vast majority of the new subsidies will benefit Californians with incomes between 400% and 600% of the poverty line, said Scott Graves, director of research for California Budget and Policy Center. \"These residents — unlike people with lower incomes — do not qualify for any federal financial assistance even though they often face high monthly premiums as well as large out-of-pocket costs,\" Graves said. The new state subsidies sunset after 2022, but the mandate and related penalty will continue. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on August 29, 2024 in a post on Instagram “BREAKING: Illegal Aliens in San Diego, California, tried to hijack 2 school buses filled with children.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • September 4, 2024 Covered California’s website said that immigrants not lawfully present in the United States do not qualify for a health plan through Covered California (though they may qualify for the state’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal). Coverage for immigrants in the country illegally Another portion of California’s 2019-20 budget expands health coverage for young adults in the country illegally. Medi-Cal, funded by state and federal taxes, offers free or low-cost health care coverage for low-income children and adults in California. The state has \"restricted scope\" and \"full-scope\" Medi-Cal; the restricted version covers emergency and pregnancy-related services, and the full-scope is more comprehensive, including medical, dental and eye care. California in 2016 began offering full-scope Medi-Cal to all children under 19 years old, regardless of immigration status. This year, the state expanded full-scope Medi-Cal to adults 19 to 25 years old who are illegally in the country and meet the income requirements. In 2019-20, this expansion is expected to cost California about $98 million, with an estimated $74 million coming from the state’s general fund. The state funds will support the full-scope Medi-Cal services ineligible for federal aid, Graves said. The additional funding, beyond the approximately $74 million from the state’s general fund, will come from the federal government and be used to pay for emergency and pregnancy-related services, he said. \"As with the prior expansion, the general fund cost of this new expansion will be paid for with tax revenues that are generated by California’s current tax system, with no tax increase,\" Graves said. Almost all tax revenue that flows into the state’s general fund comes from the personal income tax, the sales and use tax, and the corporation tax, he said. The Legislative Analyst’s Office projected that on an ongoing basis, the Medi- Cal expansion for young adults would increase general fund spending by around $225 million annually across the Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services program. The full-scope expansion is expected to benefit about 100,000 people. Some California state lawmakers and immigrant advocates wanted to offer health coverage to all immigrants living illegally in the state, but those broader plans were curtailed during budget negotiations. California’s budget has a surplus of more than $20 billion. Our ruling Fournier said, \"Starting January 1, 2020, California will tax legal citizens if they don’t have health insurance. Why? The state needs to come up with $98,000,000 to pay for free health insurance for illegal aliens.\" Californians will be required to have health care coverage in 2020, and if they don’t, they’ll pay a tax when they file their state income taxes in 2021. (There are some exemptions.) Revenue from the penalty will be used to pay for subsidies that will become available to Californians to help them reduce the cost of health care coverage. The subsidies will be for Californians who buy insurance through Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace. Immigrants in the country illegally are not allowed to purchase insurance through Covered California. California in 2020 will also expand health care coverage for young adults in the country illegally with low income. That’s estimated to cost around $98 million in the first year, drawing about $74 million from the state’s general fund. Fournier’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. We rate it Half True. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post of Ryan Fournier tweet screenshot, Oct. 21, 2019 Twitter direct message exchange with Ryan Fournier, Oct. 28, 2019 Twitter, @RyanAFournier tweet, Oct. 20, 2019 Students for Trump website KTLA.com, California Legislature Votes to Restore Tax on People Without Health Insurance, June 24, 2019 USAToday.com, California to become the first state to extend health benefits to some who live in USA illegally, June 10, 2019 California budget 2019-2020 PolitiFact California, Does California have a budget surplus of nearly ‘$30 billion,’ as Gov. Jerry Brown claimed?, Dec. 18, 2018 MercuryNews.com, California budget: More than $2 billion in new state taxes even with $21 billion surplus?, June 10, 2019 Covered California website, Immigration Status and Health Coverage Legislative Analyst’s Office, The 2019‑20 Budget: California Spending Plan Health and Human Services (HHS) Spending Plan, Oct. 17, 2019 California Franchise Tax Board, Prepare now for new state individual health care mandate, Oct. 18, 2019 Phone and email interview, James Scullary, Communications and Public Relations, Broadcast and Media Relations Branch Chief, Covered California, Oct, 25, 29, 2019 Email interview, Anthony Wright, executive director, Health Access California | Health Access Foundation, Oct. 28, 2019 Email interview, Rachel Linn Gish, director of communications, Health Access California, Oct. 28-29, 2019 Email interview, Scott Graves, director of research, California Budget and Policy Center, Oct. 29, 2019 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Miriam Valverde slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on April 19, 2021 in a speech: “If you look at some of these places that (reduced police funding), they’ve already seen crime go up.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 4, 2021 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on April 22, 2021 in an Instagram post: \"Mountains of data\" show drug ivermectin \"basically obliterates\" COVID-19 transmission. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • April 23, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on April 7, 2021 in a Facebook post: Says the nation is locked down and there’s “a wide open border.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • April 15, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Pramila Jayapal stated on August 30, 2021 in an Instagram post: “The average hospital stay for a case of COVID-19 costs about $17,064. The vaccine is free.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • September 2, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Mitt Romney stated on August 29, 2021 in a CNN interview: The Trump administration worked to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • August 31, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on August 20, 2021 in a press conference: There has been “no question of our credibility from our allies around the world” regarding how the U.S. is withdrawing from Afghanistan. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • August 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 16, 2021 in a Facebook post: COVID-19 vaccinations are “a violation of the Nuremberg code.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • August 20, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on August 4, 2021 in a press conference: Says Joe Biden has driven the current coronavirus surge because he “imported more virus from around the world by having a wide open southern border.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • August 6, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on June 16, 2021 in a press conference: “That meth … it’s almost all coming across the southern border and it’s been accelerating for the last six months.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • June 21, 2021 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on June 4, 2021 in an Instagram post: \"920 women lose their unborn babies after getting vaccinated.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • June 8, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 26, 2021 in a Facebook post: Police defunding is to blame for “skyrocketing murder rates” in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Portland, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 28, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 25, 2021 in a Facebook post: “Biden agrees to Pelosi\'s request to resign.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 17, 2021 in social media posts: “Gas prices highest in a decade. Worst jobs report in 2 decades. Highest inflation in 3 decades. Highest increase in illegal immigration in 4 decades.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • May 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin McCarthy stated on May 12, 2021 in a statement to reporters: \"I don\'t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 14, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on May 4, 2021 in a speech: “The global cost of corruption is as much as 5% of the world\'s GDP.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • May 7, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on April 19, 2021 in a speech: “If you look at some of these places that (reduced police funding), they’ve already seen crime go up.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 4, 2021 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on April 22, 2021 in an Instagram post: \"Mountains of data\" show drug ivermectin \"basically obliterates\" COVID-19 transmission. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • April 23, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on April 7, 2021 in a Facebook post: Says the nation is locked down and there’s “a wide open border.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • April 15, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Pramila Jayapal stated on August 30, 2021 in an Instagram post: “The average hospital stay for a case of COVID-19 costs about $17,064. The vaccine is free.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • September 2, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Mitt Romney stated on August 29, 2021 in a CNN interview: The Trump administration worked to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • August 31, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on August 20, 2021 in a press conference: There has been “no question of our credibility from our allies around the world” regarding how the U.S. is withdrawing from Afghanistan. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • August 26, 2021 ### California’s health mandate penalty and coverage of immigrants in the state illegally, explained * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in a post: Vice President Kamala Harris’ college professors disparaged her as their “worst student.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 17, 2024 in a post: Photo shows Kamala Harris posing beside Sean “Diddy” Combs. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 18, 2024 in Instagram posts: “BREAKING: Police found ‘explosives’ in car near former President Donald Trump’s rally site on Long Island.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Dave McCormick stated on September 13, 2024 in an X post: Charleroi, Pennsylvania, “has grown by 2,000% due to an influx in migrants.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: \"El gran respaldo de Taylor Swift\" a Kamala Harris \"le cuesta $125 millones en acuerdos de marca\". ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in an Instagram post: Taylor Swift “lost 17 million followers by endorsing Kamala.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on September 13, 2024 in a post on X: Rep. Ruben Gallego’s “first act in Congress was to propose legislation to BAN the use of the term ‘illegal alien.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Mia Osmonbekov • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Sherrod Brown stated on September 4, 2024 in a TV interview: Of Bernie Moreno, “Now, he’s arguing for a national abortion ban, no exceptions.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 16, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Country Music Television (CMT) has announced a permanent boycott of Taylor Swift.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 11, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Disney World officially moving to Nashville.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. Sign me up #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" * * * ✕
Starting January 1 2020 California will tax legal citizens if they don’t have health insurance Why The state needs to come up with 98000000 to pay for free health insurance for illegal aliens