Sponsors of the healthcare reform bills in Congress have tried hard to steer the legislation around the hot-button issues of abortion and illegal immigration, but to no avail; controversies about both continue to threaten the measures. Continue »
The House is steaming toward a historic vote on President Barack Obama's remake of the U.S. health care system, with Democratic leaders increasingly confident and the powerful seniors' lobby AARP about to get on board. Continue »
The debate over health care for illegal immigrants continues to percolate in Congress despite the Obama administration's efforts to put it to rest, with lawmakers in both houses also wrangling over how much coverage to provide for immigrants who have settled in the country legally. Continue »
Liberals and a collection of minority Democrats pressed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday to allow undocumented immigrants to purchase insurance through the exchanges created in the party's health care bill. Continue »
L.A. County officials question cost-effectiveness of rules aimed at screening those trying to get public health services. Continue »
A little more than half of legal immigrant adults in Texas lack health insurance, and legal immigrants account for more than 10 percent of the state's uninsured. Continue »
Anti-immigrant groups like FAIR, aided and abetted by pundits like CNN's on-air immigrant-basher Lou Dobbs, and validated by rabble-rousing Congressmen like Joe Wilson, were trying to kill health care reform with their typical line that new benefits were going to be provided to undocumented immigrants. It wasn't true—but, as... Continue »
Today the Senate Finance Committee is considering several key amendments on immigration to the current health insurance reform legislation. The worst amendments are sponsored by Senators Kyl (R-AZ), Grassley (R-IA) and Ensign (R-NV). Check out this alert by reform advocates working on the intersection of healthcare and... Continue »
Earlier this week, Senator Grassley (R-IA) pulled a Wilson. He claimed that the Baucus health insurance reform bill did not include sufficient provisions to keep undocumented immigrants from accessing care under the proposed health insurance reforms, as if we hadn't had enough GOP immigration wedge politics in one... Continue »
Much is being made of the 20-to-1 vote by the State Board of Community Colleges to admit illegal immigrants at North Carolina's 58 member institutions next year. While there are many legitimate questions in play, the furor is misplaced, if for no other reason than the impact of the move... Continue »