Virginia Democrats have introduced a bill that would extend taxpayer-supported health insurance to undocumented immigrants.
On Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled state Senate passed the “Cover All Children” bill on a party-line vote of 21-19. The law aims to provide undocumented immigrants under the age of 19 who are not enrolled in a group health plan or insurance program access to “comprehensive state-funded health insurance.”
Eligibility requirements are similar to the federal Medicaid program, but the bill has different language, saying it would expand access to undocumented immigrants, “but who are eligible to receive medical assistance services according to their immigration status.”
Chinese migrants pouring across southern border sparks national security concerns
Sen. Glenn Sturtevant of Virginia said Biden’s policies would turn every state into a “border state.” (Fox News illustration)
“Because of President Biden’s open borders policy, all states, including Virginia, are now border states,” Republican state Sen. Glenn Sturtevant previously told Fox News Digital. “Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats in Congress are doing everything they can to undermine legal immigration and encourage illegal immigration into the Commonwealth.”
“This Congress, Virginia Democrats introduced legislation that directly encourages illegal immigration,” Sturtevant said. “They want to give undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses that are valid for up to eight years. They are also currently working to divert limited financial resources from low-income Virginians to pay for medical care for undocumented immigrants. That would cost Virginia taxpayers more than $100, or 1 million in the last 10 years alone. ”
“These bad policies not only jeopardize Virginia’s health care system, but also give illegal immigrants the green light to travel to Virginia for free schooling, driver’s licenses, and now free health care. “It creates a perverse incentive to deem it as unethical,” Sturtevant continued. “We have seen the chaos that sanctuary city policies have caused in places like Chicago and New York. We must uphold the rule of law in Virginia and ensure that Virginians come first. yeah.”
Mayors want work permits extended to keep immigrants employed and admit new asylum seekers
Virginia Sen. Glenn Sturtevant (R) opposes efforts to expand state-funded health insurance to children of illegal immigrants. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The “Cover All Children” bill would extend coverage to uninsured illegal immigrants whose families are at 205 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill’s sponsor, the Virginia Interfaith Public Policy Center, estimated it at about $51,000 for a family of three.
The bill’s sponsors argue that 12 states and Washington, D.C., have similarly used or plan to use state funds to cover illegal immigration, and Virginia should follow suit. There is.
“Healthcare is a human right, and we know how important access to health care is to the health, well-being, and development of children,” Democratic Sen. Ghazala Hashmi of Virginia, who sponsored the bill, said after the vote. “
“With this legislation, we commit to Virginia families to ensure all children have access to essential health care.”
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi of Virginia sponsored the bill.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The bill will now be submitted to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. If approved, he would be in charge of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has taken a hard line on border security.
