Guadalupe Carrera, 36, with her daughter Eva Maqueda, 9, and son Jose Maqueda, 5, fills out an application for health insurance assistance at El Proyecto Del Barrio Family Health Care Clinic on Jan. 8, 2015.(Photo: Heidi de Marco, Kaiser Health News)

PASADENA, Calif. Angel Torres hasn't been to the doctor since coming to the United States illegally more than two decades ago. But now, his vision is getting blurry and he frequently feels tired. Torres, 51, worries he might have diabetes like his brothers.

"Time is passing," he said in Spanish. "I need to get checked out."

Torres is in luck. He lives in California, which has a dramatically different approach to health care for undocumented immigrants than most other states.

Several counties including Los Angeles, where Torres lives offer these immigrants free coverage at local clinics. In addition, as many as 500,000 low-income immigrant parents eligible for President Obama's new deportation relief likely will qualify for Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid. Already, young adults who were brought here as children have been granted similar immigration relief and can receive the state-funded insurance.

And in December, legislation was proposed to extend state-subsidized health insurance to everyone, including those barred from getting covered through the Affordable Care Act. Federal dollars could not be used.

The push to offer health insurance to all Californians regardless of immigration status is the latest in a series of immigrant-friendly state policies. Undocumented immigrants here can obtain licenses to practice medicine, law or other professions, and, as of this month, they can apply for driver's licenses.

There is no guarantee that other states will follow California's lead, but the size and demographic makeup of the state ensure it a prominent role in the national debate over covering undocumented immigrants.

If California "goes out on a limb it is a really big thing," said Randy Capps, director of research for the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C.

California has been a leader on some immigration issues. For instance, it was one of the first states to offer in-state tuition to students here illegally. Now, as undocumented immigrants increasingly settle throughout the country, about 20 do so.

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