“IMMIGRATION LAW CONNECTION”

Following a report by Michele Wasling, of the Immigration Policy Center (IPC), the Healthcare Reform Bill, which went from the U.S. House of Representatives over to the Senate, represents somewhat of a mixed-bag for immigrants.  Here are some of the points to consider:

Legal Immigrants:
Lawfully residing immigrants who make too much money to be eligible for Medicaid, do not have employer-sponsored health insurance, and cannot afford to buy insurance on their own will be eligible for the affordability credits created by the House bill. This means that many more legal immigrants will be able to afford health insurance.

5-Year Bar:
The final House bill does not rescind the bar that denies federal Medicaid benefits to lawful permanent residents for their first five years. This means that legal immigrants who are working and paying taxes will not be eligible to receive the benefits of their taxes dollars for at least 5 years.

Unauthorized Immigrants:
Undocumented immigrants are already restricted from most public insurance programs, including Medicaid. The House does not include any provisions to expand their eligibility. Under the bill, unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for the affordability credits or subsidies that would make purchasing insurance more affordable. But, the House bill does not exclude undocumented immigrants from being able to buy full-price insurance with their own money in the Exchange.