California has proposed legislation that formally requests the federal government allow undocumented immigrants to purchase health insurance through a state exchange, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Here are five things to know about the legislation.
1. The legislation, authored by California Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), would allow the state to ask the federal government for permission to allow undocumented immigrants to buy health coverage through the state's insurance exchange, Covered California, with no cost to the state or federal government, according to the report.
2. If the state receives the federal government's permission, as many as 390,000 immigrants who earn an income too high to qualify for Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, would be able to purchase healthcare through the exchange under the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Lara said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
3. Speaking about the measure, Sen. Lara said, "This proposal affirms our commitment to embrace and integrate our immigrant community, to lead where the federal government has failed and to acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice of a community that contributes billions of dollars to our GDP."
4. But We the People Rising, which calls for strict enforcement of existing immigration laws, spoke against the measure, sayingit "encourages illegal immigration," and "sends a message to the world that if you come to our country you will be rewarded," according to the Los Angeles Times.
5. The report notes that proposal, SB 10, comes days after the Covered California board endorsed a proposal to apply for a federal waiver to allow illegal immigrants to purchase health insurance with their own money through the exchange.