California Could Become First State to Allow Immigrants to Purchase Obamacare
California could be the first state in the country to seek to legally allow immigrants the right to purchase health care insurance through Obamacare.
State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, is pushing bill SB 10, which would have state legislators formally request that the federal government grant the state permission to allow immigrants to purchase coverage through Covered California without cost to either the state or federal government.
Nearly 400,000 People Would be Eligible for Obamacare Coverage
It's estimated that as many as 390,000 immigrants, currently earning too much to be eligible for Medi-Cal, would be eligible for coverage that falls under the umbrella of Affordable Care Act.
"This proposal affirms our commitment to embrace and integrate our immigrant community, to lead where the federal government has failed and to acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice of a community that contributes billions of dollars to our GDP," Lara said in a statement.
Currently the federally mandated Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, prohibits people in the country without authorization from purchasing health plan coverage through state exchanges.
The Claremont-based We the People Rising group, which advocates for strict enforcement of all on-the-books immigration allows, is hoping to keep things that way.
"We oppose that [bill] because that encourages illegal immigration," said Robin Hvidston, executive director of the group. "It sends a message to the world that if you come to our country you will be rewarded."
Lara countered that the board is convinced "prohibiting immigrants from buying insurance from the state exchange with their own money is an irrational and discriminatory policy that doesn't reflect our California values."
Gov. Jerry Brown yet to Take Public Position
As of yet, Gov. Jerry Brown has not taken a public stance on the bill. The bill is in keeping with an ongoing movement spearheaded by the California Latino Legislative Caucus that would provide healthcare coverage for all immigrants.
In 2015, the Legislature approved a $40 million measure put forth by Lara that extended public healthcare to more than 170,000 children in the country illegally.
As for the latest proposal, the federal Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Treasury now has roughly seven months to make a decision. By expediting state approval of the bill, Lara hopes to have the request considered by Obama administration prior to the president leaving office.
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