California seeking to enroll illegal immigrants in Obamacare

October 5, 2016

obamaCalifornia’s state health care exchange has sent an application to the federal government seeking permission to sell insurance to illegal immigrants. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, prohibits illegal immigrants from buying health insurance through state exchanges.

In June, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that directed Covered California to apply for a waiver that would allow illegal immigrants to access Obamacare. Peter Lee, the executive director of Covered California, submitted the waiver application on Sept. 30.

“If this waiver request is not granted, the decision will continue the current policy that restricts health coverage options for California’s undocumented immigrants to purchase coverage off the exchange,” the application sates. “This restriction on purchasing is a barrier for these residents who make a significant contribution to the economy, paying more than $3 billion a year in state and local taxes.”

Lee’s application goes on to state that “mixed-status families” are the ones most harmed by Obamacare’s existing ban on illegal immigrants. In mixed-status families, some members, often the children, are citizens or legal residents, while others are illegal immigrants. About 13 percent of school-aged children in California have a parent who is an undocumented immigrant, according to Covered California.

The state health exchange claims, if the waiver is granted, illegal immigrants would not be eligible for federal subsidies, and they would have to pay the full cost of coverage. A University of California Berkeley team estimates approximately 17,000 undocumented immigrants would get health coverage through the state exchange as a result of the waiver.

If the United State Department of Health and Human Services issues the waiver, California would become the first state to offer Obamacare to illegal immigrants.

Prior to the passage of Obamacare, President Barack Obama said in a 2009 address to a joint session of Congress that the legislation would not provide insurance to illegal immigrants.

“There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants,” Obama said. “This, too, is false. The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) then shouted, “You lie!”

Obama responded, “That’s not true.”


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Illegals won’t sign up for Obamacare. They are afraid of deportation. They also know that without a social security number, they can just go to the ER for everything. Why would they voluntarily pay a premium? I am thinking this is a back door for MILLIONS of illegals to be able to get free medi-cal. When that happens, we’re screwed.


Prisoners get better health care than a disabled veteran.I have migraines and seizures from a head injury I have to get my medication through Tri care instead of VA a prescription is 49 dollars I am limited to twenty seven pills for ninety days I am told to go to the ER if I run out of meds the ER is thirteen thousand dollars vs fifteen dollars for one pill. This is Obama affordable health care. cannon cocker


The more low income, subsidized, people you have on the program, the more it costs those who make too much to be subsidized. Obama is wrong to tout “success” as being an ever-growing total number of enrolled.


What this could be is the people running Covered California know, as many of us do, that the system is failing, running out of money, paying out way more than it is taking in. They are trying to hold off raising premiums, we all know that has happened and will again in large numbers, but they are trying to hold off doing so until at least after the election, and then hoping for a bailout of some sort instead of doing what we all know needs to be done.


Criminals in California have more rights than their victims.


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