Reuters
June 2, 2015
The
California Senate voted on Tuesday to allow unauthorized immigrants to
buy health insurance on a state exchange created under the U.S.
Affordable Care Act, a measure
that would make the state the first to offer that kind of coverage.
The
Senate voted 28-11 in favor of the proposal, which still must be
approved by the state Assembly and signed by the governor, said Jesse
Melgar, a spokesman for the
bill's author, Senator Ricardo Lara.
If
the bill becomes law, California would become the first U.S. state to
let unauthorized immigrants access health insurance from its exchange,
although a federal waiver
would still be needed for that to happen.
But
the measure would not provide a subsidy for undocumented immigrants to
buy health insurance, unlike U.S. citizens and legal residents who can
qualify for such assistance
based on their incomes, Melgar said.
It
would, however, expand medical coverage for California residents age 18
and younger who lack legal immigration status, giving those in need
full health insurance under
the state's Medi-Cal program to supplement emergency coverage such
children already receive regardless of their immigration background,
Melgar said.
The
bill would allow unauthorized immigrants 19 and older who cannot afford
to buy insurance to sign up for a program that would eventually provide
them coverage, Melgar
said. A state allocation to fund the program would be made at a later
date, he said.
"Today’s
vote is a transformational and decisive step forward on the path to
achieving health for all," Lara, a Democrat, said in a statement.
About
7 percent of California's population, or 2.6 million people, lack legal
immigration status. In 2012, the state spent more than $600 million on
emergency room and
other health-related services for people living in the state illegally.
The California Assembly is expected to vote on the bill before the end of the state's legislative session in August.
Ira
Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration
Reform, which calls for restrictions on immigration, said the bill would
unnecessarily cost California
taxpayers and strain the state's healthcare system.
"It's
just one additional step that the California legislature is trying to
take to eliminate any legal distinction between illegal aliens and legal
residents of California,"
Mehlman said.
Melgar said an analysis has not been completed on how much the bill would cost the state.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment