This is from Anna Gorman writing at the Washington Post:
... [A] California state senator has proposed legislation that would offer health insurance for all Californians, including those living here illegally.
The bill would extend state-funded Medi-Cal to low-income immigrants who, because they are in the country without permission, are now eligible only for emergency and pregnancy coverage. It would also create a marketplace similar to Covered California to offer insurance policies to higher income immigrants who lack legal status.
Sen. Ricardo Lara, a Democrat who represents Long Beach and Southeast Los Angeles, announced the proposed legislation at a press conference Friday. He said immigrants contribute to the California economy and deserve to have access to health insurance. ...
An estimated 2.3 to 2.6 million immigrants live in California illegally – more than in any other state. About 1 million are believed to be uninsured, while many of the others purchase their own policies or are covered through employer plans.
Currently, those who are uninsured can receive medical care at community and free clinics and in some counties, through public hospitals and health facilities. ...
Most of the state’s Medi-Cal recipients receive services paid for by a combination of federal and state funds. The new proposal would be paid for entirely by the state. ...
The Covered California website includes a special page entitled: "No temas si eres indocumentado/a y quieres inscribir a tu familia en un seguro médico" ("Fear not if you are undocumented and want to enroll your family in health insurance"). The website goes on to explain that information shared with Obamacare cannot be shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It does not explicitly warn that illegal aliens are ineligible.
"According to the laws and implementing regulations," the website says, "the information provided by individuals for coverage can not be used for purposes other than ensuring the efficient functioning of the insurance market ( Covered California) or administration of the program, or to verify certain eligibility determinations including verification of the immigration status of these people."
