Calif. senator wants to extend health care to undocumented immigrants

State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), who chairs the California Legislative Latino Caucus, said his bill would expand access to health care coverage for all California residents regardless of their immigration status.

“We’ve made enormous strides to reduce California’s uninsured population with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but we won’t have a truly healthy state until everyone has access to quality, affordable coverage,” Lara said in a statement.

He also argued that immigration status shouldn’t prevent individuals from getting health care coverage, especially when “their taxes contribute to the growth of our economy.” 

Finding a way to extend health care coverage

Currently, federal law prevents undocumented immigrants from getting health insurance provided through California’s health insurance exchange known as Covered California.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Lara is working with a group of activists to come up with a coverage plan that won’t interfere with federal law.

One alternative they’ve come up with is a further expansion of Medi-Cal, California’s health program for low-income individuals. Another alternative is the creation of a separate program within or outside of Covered California that could provide subsidies from the state instead of the federal government.

Lara estimates that nearly one million undocumented immigrants will remain without health care coverage unless the state legislature moves forward with his proposal.

A  report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research estimates that 58.5 percent of undocumented immigrants who live in California and are under the age of 65 will not have health insurance by 2016. The report also states that across the country, undocumented immigrants will make up a larger share of people who remain uninsured even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Urging legislators to support his legislation, Lara insisted that “it’s time to extend the most basic right of access to health care for everyone.” 

Reaction to Lara’s plan to extend health care coverage

Lara’s plan to extend health care coverage to undocumented immigrants living in California is receiving support from individuals like Xavier Morales, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California.

Morales applauded Lara’s leadership on the issue and said the senator’s vision to provide access to health care coverage for all Californians is “transformational.”

“Many who today are not eligible for coverage contribute greatly to the success of California’s world class economy through their labor across all of our industrial sectors,” Morales said. “This is a huge step in the right direction.”

But not everyone favors Lara’s plan to extend health care coverage to undocumented immigrants in California. Republican lawmakers, like Assemblyman Tim Donnelly of Twin Peaks, were quick to criticize Lara’s proposal

“California cannot afford to create another incentive to attract people to come to our state illegally in pursuit of taxpayer-subsidized benefits,” Donnelly told The Los Angeles Times. “It’s shameful that … Lara would trade on the plight of those who are ineligible.”

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