Thread: Latino Groups Urge Senate to Incl. Legal Immigrants in SCHIP

Monday, JAN 19, 2009
NCLR Urges Senate To Include Legal Immigrant Children In Health Bill

Washington, DC-Calling it "an investment in a stronger and more secure future for all Americans," Janet MurguÃ*a, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, today at a press conference on Capitol Hill called for the U.S. Senate to include legal immigrant children and pregnant women in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill. Along with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), NCLR praised the House of Representatives for including this vulnerable segment of the Latino community in its SCHIP reauthorization bill, and it urged the Senate to make the same commitment to promoting a healthier America by passing the legislation.

"It is inexcusable that Latino children, who make up a significant portion our nation's population, continue to be the most uninsured ethnic group in the country," said MurguÃ*a. "Excluding legal immigrant children from this bill would result in an irresponsible and dangerous health care policy."

Under the 1996 welfare reform, immigrant children and pregnant women are subject to a five-year bar before they may qualify for coverage through Medicaid or SCHIP. "I haven't met anyone who isn't outraged when they hear what the current five-year bar on legal immigrant children means: that a girl with asthma has to go through five years of attacks before she can get an inhaler, and a boy with cancer has to wait five years for chemotherapy," said Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). "Five years truly is a lifetime for a child. It's time to remove this bar and include coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women in the bill to reauthorize SCHIP, so we can take a major step toward making sure no child goes to bed at night without health care in the greatest nation on earth."

Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), who introduced the measure under the "Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act" (ICHIA), stated, "I have worked hard for a decade on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to follow the lead of the House and include ICHIA in SCHIP. The need for child health insurance coverage in states with large immigrant populations is reaching crisis proportions. The law should not discriminate against legal immigrants; health care is too important an issue."

"The five-year waiting period can mean the difference between preventing or treating health conditions that can affect a child's prospects for a healthy and productive life-or leaving those conditions undetected and not treated, costing taxpayers much more in the long run. This is not only a matter of common sense, but also an opportunity to show the values that define us as a country," said Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA).

http://tinyurl.com/7gpyu9

"I haven't met anyone who isn't outraged when they hear what the current five-year bar on legal immigrant children means:

That's because she hasn't met me.

Anyone know? How long is Janet's term as president for the race? Or is she a life-timer??

Guess she only talks to who will agree with her reggiemay. She ought to widen her circles.

how come it's always so-called latino leaders that whine and moan and cry foul? Where are the represenatives of other immigrant groups?

I am sick and tired of paying for latin americans - we are being bled to death!

Legal immigrants are supposed to have sponsors who accept financial responsibility for them. It's part of the process of obtaining a visa. These sponsors are NOT supposed to be the American taxpayers!

50% of legal residents are latinos. Somebody in their zeal to dish out visas to hard working human beings didnt realize a great number of countries speak spanish, have a similar culture and religion etc and so these people have been granted disproportional numbers of visas to come and live hear. No wonder why we have this mess and no wonder some people of the Hispanic community have been making all their ethno centric noises. It's about power, greed, egos and now is about demographic hegemony. When you have a guy from Univision calling for Spanish to become a natinal language like English you really need to wake up!

Immigration ought to serve the nation not one ethnic group!

Originally Posted by alamb

50% of legal residents are latinos.

Only because the US kept giving them amnesty, more than half of those "legal residents" entered or stayed illegally.

There are many citizen children who don't have health insurance, this should be for them. There is no reason to include legal immigrant children as their parents employers provide health coverage. Legal immigrants have gone thru the vetting process and that includes their financial means - no becoming wards of the US.

Free emails or faxes to request that your Senators oppose this are available from "Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS)" here:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-143087.html