California Senate Votes to Let Undocumented Immigrants Buy Health Insurance

(Reuters) - The California Senate voted on Tuesday to allow unauthorized immigrants to buy health insurance on a state exchange created under the U.S. Affordable Care Act, a measure that would make the state the first to offer that kind of coverage.

The Senate voted 28-11 in favor of the proposal, which still must be approved by the state Assembly and signed by the governor, said Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for the bill's author, Senator Ricardo Lara.

If the bill becomes law, California would become the first U.S. state to let unauthorized immigrants access health insurance from its exchange, although a federal waiver would still be needed for that to happen.

But the measure would not provide a subsidy for undocumented immigrants to buy health insurance, unlike U.S. citizens and legal residents who can qualify for such assistance based on their incomes, Melgar said.

It would, however, expand medical coverage for California residents age 18 and younger who lack legal immigration status, giving those in need full health insurance under the state's Medi-Cal program to supplement emergency coverage such children already receive regardless of their immigration background, Melgar said.

The bill would allow unauthorized immigrants 19 and older who cannot afford to buy insurance to sign up for a program that would eventually provide them coverage, Melgar said. A state allocation to fund the program would be made at a later date, he said.

"Today’s vote is a transformational and decisive step forward on the path to achieving health for all," Lara, a Democrat, said in a statement.

About 7 percent of California's population, or 2.6 million people, lack legal immigration status. In 2012, the state spent more than $600 million on emergency room and other health-related services for people living in the state illegally.

The California Assembly is expected to vote on the bill before the end of the state's legislative session in August.

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which calls for restrictions on immigration, said the bill would unnecessarily cost California taxpayers and strain the state's healthcare system.

"It's just one additional step that the California legislature is trying to take to eliminate any legal distinction between illegal aliens and legal residents of California," Mehlman said.

Melgar said an analysis has not been completed on how much the bill would cost the state.

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