California Senate Votes to Let Illegals Buy Health Insurance

[mystery-ak]

http://www.newsmax.com/PrintTemplate.aspx/?nodeid=648297


Newsmax
California Senate Votes to Let Illegals Buy Health Insurance
Tuesday, June 2, 2015 04:17 PM

By: REUTERS

The California Senate voted on Tuesday to allow unauthorized immigrants to buy health insurance on the state exchange created under the U.S. Affordable Care Act, said the bill's author, Senator Ricardo Lara.

The Senate voted 28-11 in favor of the measure, which will go to the Assembly and would require a federal waiver to allow such immigrants to buy health insurance on the exchange, said Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for Lara. They would not receive a subsidy to make that purchase, he said.

If the bill becomes law, California would become the first U.S. state to allow unauthorized immigrants to access health insurance from its exchange.

The measure would also expand medical coverage for California residents age 18 and younger who entered the country illegally, providing them full health insurance under the state's Medi-Cal program to supplement the emergency coverage needy children already receive regardless of immigration status, Melgar said.

The bill would allow unauthorized immigrants 19 and older who cannot afford coverage to sign up for a program that would eventually provide it to them, 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 said in a statement.

[Fishrrman]

[[ The Senate voted 28-11 in favor of the measure, which will go to the Assembly and would require a federal waiver to allow such immigrants to buy health insurance on the exchange, said Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for Lara. They would not receive a subsidy to make that purchase, he said. ]]

I'm one of the staunchest anti-amnesty folks in this forum (no citizenship, EVER), but ....
... this actually sounds like a good idea to me.

So long as they ARE NOT "subsidized", we might as well give them access to the health care system if they are willing to pay the premiums.

This is far FAR better than having them rely on the emergency room for routine care.

The only problem might eventually be "creeping entitlism" -- that is, how long until the liberals clamor that we must offer subsidies to those illegals who "can't afford" health insurance?

There may be other aspects that I'm missing.

What are they?

[truth_seeker]

Most would be subsidized. However a claim of having people with insurance, is it encourages regular doctor visits in the office, preventative health measures, instead of very costly visits to emergency rooms, often for routine treatments.

That is the idea. It will take some time for states to get the full picture, data, costs, number insured, subsidies, premiums received, etc. to balance things and know the facts.