House: Illegal immigrant children should be eligible for KidCare

By By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

TALLAHASSEE — Debate over a bill to revamp the state’s subsidized health insurance program for children flared Wednesday over whether it should be available to the children of illegal immigrants.

Overwhelmingly — and somewhat surprisingly — the House answered yes, it should.

While a large number in the Republican-dominated House say they don’t favor providing government services for undocumented immigrants, many said children shouldn’t have to answer for their parents’ crime of coming to the United States illegally.

The House voted 98-14 for a broad overhaul of the children’s health care program, called KidCare, that could open the door for the coverage of the children of illegal immigrants.

Advocates and lawmakers say it’s unlikely any would apply because the process still would require certain documentation such as a Social Security number, which undocumented immigrants don’t legally have.

But the bill wouldn’t specifically preclude children who are in the country illegally from getting subsidized health coverage. When Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, introduced an amendment to clarify that illegal immigrant children wouldn’t be eligible, it prompted a long and passionate debate — with lawmaker after lawmaker from both sides of the aisle standing up, mostly to speak in favor of covering them.

“I do not care if they’re legals or illegals, they need to all be taken care of,” Rep. Rene Garcia, R-Miami, said.

“All of God’s children — underscore all — deserve health care,” said Rep. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville.

Rep. Don Brown, R-DeFuniak Springs, one of 14 who voted against the bill (HB 7189), said the state shouldn’t cover illegal immigrant children when it has had to struggle in many years to find enough money to cover all the children legally living in the state.

Harrell said later that the immigration problem is created by bad federal policy, so Washington should use its money to fix it.

“If the federal government is not going to tighten the border ... then they have the responsibility to fund those children,” Harrell said.

Some who have expressed concern over illegal immigration said there is a practical consideration to extending health coverage to such children because the state or hospitals pick up the cost anyway when they end up sick in hospitals.

Something needs to be done to stop illegal immigration, “but let’s don’t do it on the backs of these children and the backs of our hospitals,” said Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla.

Immigrant advocates were caught off guard by the number of House members who stood up to fight for coverage of children here illegally, but said it likely wouldn’t have a practical impact because of the need for documentation.

Rep. Bill Galvano, the sponsor of the bill agreed that there likely wouldn’t be many — or maybe any — illegal immigrants who try to get into the program.

“But I think it’s the right policy and it’s the right thing to do and it was time to have that vote,” said Galvano, R-Bradenton.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Legislators tightened eligibility requirements for KidCare a few years ago, and since then enrollment has dropped precipitously amid complaints from families who say the application process is too complicated and service fractured among too many agencies.

Galvano’s bill, which had wide bipartisan support all through the legislative session, is aimed at making it easier for families to enroll their children and navigate the system. It is also aimed at removing barriers to certain children who aren’t currently eligible — namely the children of state workers and the children of certain legal immigrants, many of whom are excluded because the federal government doesn’t pay for their coverage.

While debate in committees focused on legal immigrant children, Galvano said it was his intent all along that the bill would include “all children.”

The House is proposing to spend about $9 million next year to cover additional children who weren’t previously eligible.

Currently there are an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 children in the state who aren’t insured.

Low-income families in the KidCare program pay as little as $15 a month for coverage.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/apr ... e_eligibl/