SCHIP for Legal Immigrants!
In catching up a bit from last week, I'd like to commend President Obama and Congress for passing the "Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act" (ICHIA) as part of the SCHIP reauthorization.
Under the former law, LEGAL immigrants were generally barred from utilizing Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program for 5 years after they entered the United States as LEGAL immigrants. The new ICHIA legislation authorizes states to waive the senseless and cold-hearted 5 year waiting period.
Given the fact that the expansion of this program will prevent hundreds of thousands of law-abiding, tax-paying U.S. residents from having to inefficiently seek medical treatment through the emergency room, and thereby promote pro-active health care and health care cost containment, it's difficult to imagine that anybody would be against this program. Alas, they were. So congrats to President Obama and the congressional leaders who stepped forward to help make this happen. While ICHIA is the first pro-immigrant legislation signed by President Obama, my most sincere hope is that it won't be the last.
