HealthCare.gov's EZ form not for legal immigrants
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) HealthCare.gov's simpler online application is being touted as a big win for consumers. But it can't be used by legal immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens, who represent millions of potential new health insurance customers.
That's prompting worries that many Hispanics and Asians will end up in long enrollment queues when the second sign-up season for coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law gets underway next month.
The administration says immigrants are not being overlooked, and points to other improvements in the application process. Officials say what they can do is limited by the law's requirements.
Advocates aren't buying that explanation.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/261811ce06484cfc8b706d698a8201fa/healthcaregovs-ez-form-not-legal-immigrants
Bandit
(21,475 posts)It doesn't matter if they are naturalized or born into it, they are still US citizens....I could understand the reluctance to give immigrants access to healthcare. I certainly don't agree but I can understand the thought process. I can not understand at all denying a US citizen.. PERIOD
Mass
(27,315 posts)BumRushDaShow
(127,301 posts)If someone is born in the U.S. and/or to at least one U.S. citizen, then they are automatically a citizen. But if the person was naturalized as a citizen, then that needs to be verified, obviously through some ICE (or other) database that Healthcare.gov needs to connect to, and that would be an extra step that can be skipped by regular citizens (speeding up the application process).