A plan to extend Obamacare coverage to undocumented residents in California has won the approval of the state Senate Health Committee.
The plan would allow illegal immigrants to obtain health care coverage — and government subsidies — via the state Obamacare operation, Covered California. Non-residents were deliberately excluded from the Affordable Care Act during its development at the federal level, in part a political compromise.
Sponsor state Sen. Ricardo Lara says an estimated 3 to 4 million people in the state will remain uninsured in spite of the Affordable Care Act, and almost a million of those will be undocumented residents ineligible for coverage.
Senate Bill 1005 remains a work in progress, as funding for the health care hasn’t been addressed. The Senate Health Committee vote of April 30 was 6-1. Sen. Ed Hernandez, the committee chairman and a leader of Affordable Care Act in California, voted for Lara’s plan but expressed concerns about the funding, which presumably would come from the state.
This bill also would extend eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals now shut out because of their immigration status. Federal Medi-Cal payments for unregistered aliens also are prohibited.
“California continues to lead where the federal government is failing to act,” said Lara, D-Bell Gardens. “While we’ve made enormous strides to reduce California’s uninsured population with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we won’t have a truly healthy state until everyone has access to quality, affordable coverage.”
Lara, who heads the state’s Latino Legislative Caucus, calls his measure the Health for All Act. His parents were once illegal aliens. The legislator noted that undocumented residents pay state taxes.
GOP opponents have said illegal aliens don’t need another incentive to come to California.
Lara says his plan would reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms and cut overall health care costs for Californians.
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