California will soon become one of the first states to provide free health care to all low-income immigrants living in the state illegally. Starting Monday, more than 700,000 immigrants will gain access to health care coverage through the state's Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. It's one of the biggest coverage expansions in California in a decade. Health care and immigrant advocates say the expansion will be life-changing for the population. Critics worry the changes will further strain the system and blast the program's cost while the state faces a record $68 billion deficit. The expansion also inches California closer to a goal of providing universal health care.
