Latino Leaders Riled by Role of Immigration in Health Care Debate

Daphne Eviatar for the Washington Independent writes that “Latino lawmakers had long ago given up on the idea that illegal immigrants would receive any sort of subsidized health insurance under a health care reform bill, even if there are strong economic, public health and moral arguments to support the idea. But what they hadn’t expected – at least not before Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst earlier this month – was that immigrants would be so scapegoated in the health care debate that undocumented immigrants would be denied the opportunity even to purchase market-based private health insurance with their own money. That development, and other possible provisions of the Senate Finance Committee health care bill introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that may exclude even some legal immigrants from the benefits of a new health care system, threatens to undermine Latino support for Democratic lawmakers in the 2010 elections.”

The need for health care for all U.S. residents is great.  A Pew Hispanic Center report released on September 25 found that six of ten Hispanic adults in the United States who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents lack health insurance.  Again, as we do with the issue of immigration enforcement, the nation faces the question — Who are we as a nation?  What do we stand for as a people?  How will history record what we did here today?

KJ