Weekly Debate: Health care reform & immigration

As we mentioned over the weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives approved by a narrow margin a landmark health care reform bill (H.R.3962). There has been plenty of controversy about the proposal including an amendment barring federal funds for insuring certain forms of abortion. Largely unnoticed amid the hullabaloo is the clause on immigrant coverage:

(A) REQUIREMENT- No individual shall be an affordable credit eligible individual (as defined in section 342(a)(1)) unless the individual is a citizen or national of the United States or is lawfully present in a State in the United States (other than as a nonimmigrant described in a subparagraph (excluding subparagraphs (K), (T), (U), and (V)) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act).

In other words, undocumented immigrants won’t be covered under the prospective public health care scheme.

Currently illegal immigrants are ineligible for all forms of federal health care and H.R.3962 may force them to privately purchase their own health care. (It has been estimated that approximately half of all illegal immigrants already pay for their own health insurance.) This may be a very big problem for the Latino community; a Pew Hispanic Center survey recently found that “six out of 10 U.S. Hispanic illegal immigrants lack health insurance, more than twice the rate for legal Latino residents and citizens and three times the average for the population as a whole.”

Opponents of the clause have argued that it would unfairly “delay or deny access to healthcare for citizen children because of their parents’ status.” Yet much like the abortion compromise in H.R.3962 may've helped it pass the House, the tougher language on illegal immigrants in the Senate’s version may help that bill get passed. (This appears to be part of the Obama administration’s risky strategy to garner legislative support for health care reform).

What do you think? Should the health care reform bill include a clause to exclude undocumented immigrants? Should Congress approve the proposal or reject it? How do you think Latinos will be affected by the possible changes to health care?

Let us know your opinion via the comments and/or voting in our poll. Let your voice be heard as long as you keep it civil please!

Image- ABC News (“A Hispanic patient undergoes radiotherapy treatment for cancer.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Guanabee, Open Congress, factcheck.org, thehill.com, CBS News