State senator proposes health coverage for all immigrants

SACRAMENTO -- The head of the California Legislative Latino Caucus proposed Friday that immigrants in the country illegally be allowed to get healthcare coverage through a state program similar to that provided through Obamacare.

State Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) said that if the goal is to provide healthcare coverage to all uninsured, then immigration status should not be a factor in the decision.

“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,” said Lara. “Immigration status shouldn’t bar individuals from health coverage, especially since their taxes contribute to the growth of our economy.”

Lara said he will introduce legislation to address the issue raised by the federal Affordable Care Act, which bars immigrants here illegally from insurance coverage provided through the state healthcare exchange, known as Covered California.

Without the change in law, Lara estimates up to 4 million people in the state will remain uninsured despite the Affordable Care Act.

A final proposal is still in the works, but Lara is looking at alternatives including an expansion of MediCal or creating a separate program in Covered California where subsidies would be provided by the state, not the federal government.

He said the proposal is a natural follow-up to last year’s legislation providing driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally and allowing them to practice law in California.

The legislation is supported by Xavier Morales, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California.

“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.”

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