More Updates on Healthcare: Abortion and Illegals
Posted on | November 6, 2009 | No Comments
An article in yesterday’s New York Times describes a fight in Congress over insurance coverage for abortions, and that battle is sure to arouse strong passions. States differ from one another and from federal policy when it comes to recognizing a woman’s reproductive rights. In Nevada, state law requires that birth control pills be treated the same as other prescription drugs but denies coverage for abortions to women on Medicaid unless they are medically necessary or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
In Congress, all sides are represented: from those who want to explicitly bar any direct or indirect subsidy for abortion, to those who seek to finance abortions just like any other element of care, and seemingly every viewpoint in between.
Why is this debate relevant to immigration issues? Because of political capital. As Speaker Pelosi tries to assemble a bare 218-vote majority for the House’s healthcare bill, Democrats have to reach compromises among themselves on at least two remaining issues. One is the abortion-funding debate; the other is access to the proposed health insurance Exchange for immigrants.
Our recent post on healthcare and immigrants described how the fates of both illegal immigrants and recently-adjusted lawful permanent residents are being used as bargaining chips to achieve a majority capable of passing a reform bill. If the reproductive rights advocates “win” on the abortion front, the immigrants’ rights advocates may “lose” on the access front. The concern is that reproductive and immigrant rights are being pitted against each other in a zero-sum game, one that will likely play out poorly for the less-organized, less-vocal immigrant interests. That post described strange restrictions on LPR access to social programs already in place; under the most extremely anti-immigrant proposals, this bill could be even more absurd and detrimental to society.
According to the Times, some lawmakers have proposed barring undocumented immigrants from the health insurance Exchange entirely, not just from the income-based subsidies to help purchase premiums. Since reform would mandate that all individual insurance be sold in the Exchange, such proposals seek to prohibit illegal aliens from buying health insurance even if they pay every penny of the premiums themselves.
The implications of such a bill for the nation’s healthcare system are at once chilling and moronic. With undocumented immigrants unable to get insurance at any price, costs would continue to rise for reasons explored previously. And by preventing them from paying full-cost for insurance, the policy would cut off its nose to spite its face, since these individuals would actually subsidize insurance for the citizens and LPRs buying from the Exchange.
Our readers are encouraged to contact their Representative in Congress and write to their Senators to advocate common-sense approaches to healthcare reform. Also, immigrant advocacy groups, Latino voters, and other constituencies should mobilize to block these misguided policies.
If you have questions about other immigration matters, please contact us in Reno or Las Vegas.
Tags: Healthcare > Illegal Aliens > Immigrant Rights > Immigration Attorney > Immigration Lawyer > Latino Voters > Medicaid > Nevada > Permanent Resident > Undocumented
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