In New Year, immigrants in California may qualify for Medicaid regardless of legal status

Milagro, a Peruvian immigrant in Riverside County, California, has had spotty access to health care in the two decades she’s been in this country.

The 48-year-old, who works as the office manager at a nonprofit, can get emergency care through a narrow set of benefits the state makes available to immigrants without legal residency.

And she has been able to get mammograms, X-rays, and blood tests at clinics that charge according to income.

But it can take a long time to get such appointments, and they are often far from home.