Immigration Law

SENATE PASSES BILL PROVIDING HEALTH COVERAGE FOR IMMIGRANT KIDS

By Greg Siskind

The House passed this even before the President was sworn in. The bill now brings in a large number of legal immigrant children in to the Children's Health Insurance Program. Pro-immigrant groups are applauding the measure. From a press release from the National Conference of La Raza:

Legal immigrant children in the U.S. are today one step closer to accessing critical health care services. The Senate approved the ?Children?s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act,? (SCHIP) a bill that will provide more health insurance opportunities for approximately four million children in the U.S. and includes legal immigrant children and pregnant women in the scope of its coverage. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., fought to end a five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children and pregnant women that has shut hundreds of thousands out of Medicaid and SCHIP for a decade. The bill was passed by a vote of 66-32. The bill?s passage affirms President Barack Obama?s recent actions and statements supporting healthcare for every child in the U.S.

?Including legal immigrant children in the reauthorization of SCHIP affirms American values. America is not a country that chooses which children get health coverage and which do not,? said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. ?Latino children continue to be the most uninsured ethnic group in the country. Yesterday?s vote provides a strong signal that the new Congress is committed to addressing the issues that affect the Latino community.?

Murguía also lauded the leadership of several Senators who helped advance the legislation in spite of receiving public criticism for their support of the bill. ?We are glad that Congress chose not to play games with the health care of America?s children. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D?NV) and Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Senators Jay Rockefeller (D?WV), Olympia Snowe (R?ME), and Robert Menendez (D?NJ) should be especially commended for their sustained efforts in the fight to achieve healthcare for our littlest ones,? noted Murguía.

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on January 30, 2009 (boomark / email).