The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed a sweeping health care bill by a vote of 220-215. In the next few weeks, this bill will be analyzed and there will be various summaries online regarding this important piece of legislation. I would like to focus on the Immigration related matters in the Bill.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus staunchly oppose including a provision that would bar undocumented workers from using their own money to buy health insurance policies available through the exchange.
The measure is already included in the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the bill and is backed by the White House. Some conservative House Democrats have also indicated their support for the Senate language.
Several Hispanic Caucus members who discussed the issue with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said they had received assurances the Senate language would not be included. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-Texas, warned Thursday that several caucus members might try to block the House bill if it’s changed to conform to the Senate measure. Pelosi’s bill includes various requirements for immigrants to verify their citizenship before getting federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Conservatives, however, have called the requirements insufficient.
We will review the Bill and report on more important points that will be of interest to Immigrants.