| In a bid to win support from fence-sitting | | | | shaken Latino rights groups, who have strongly |
| moderate Democratic senators, the Senate | | | | backed Democratic attempts to overhaul the |
| leadership has included provisions in its healthcare | | | | American healthcare system. |
| proposal that would bar any aid to illegal | | | | "Diseases know no boundaries," said Elena Rios, |
| immigrants and would restrict assistance to | | | | president of the National Hispanic Medical |
| immigrants residing legally in the United States. | | | | Association. "The best idea would be to have |
| Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid needs the | | | | everyone have healthcare." |
| support of all 58 Democrats and both independent | | | | Hispanics in the House — there are none in the |
| senators in a procedural showdown vote today | | | | Senate — are furious. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., |
| on whether he can block a Republican filibuster | | | | calls the Senate provisions "mean-spirited" and |
| that would kill the health bill. | | | | "dehumanizing." |
| The result: Moderate-to-conservative Democratic | | | | Some medical providers in cities like Houston |
| senators such as Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Blanche | | | | contend that taxpayers would be the ultimate |
| Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of | | | | victim of any plan that keeps immigrants away |
| Louisiana, along with independent Joe Lieberman of | | | | from primary doctors and instead funnels them to |
| Connecticut, effectively have veto power over | | | | public hospitals’ emergency rooms. |
| the bill. | | | | "Those problems are not going to go away" |
| Like the recently approved House version of | | | | unless immigrants obtain access to primary-care |
| healthcare reform, the Senate bill would deny | | | | physicians rather than using emergency rooms as |
| federal subsidies to help undocumented | | | | a first resort, said David Lopez, CEO of the Harris |
| immigrants buy insurance. But the Senate bill | | | | County Hospital District. "I think it needs to be |
| would also bar undocumented immigrants from | | | | addressed now." |
| participating in health insurance exchanges even if | | | | Texas has the highest number of uninsured |
| they pay full price with their own funds. | | | | immigrants in the U.S. Of the 6 million or so |
| The Senate would also impose a five-year waiting | | | | uninsured residents in Texas, about 1.5 million are |
| period before legal immigrants who are not | | | | not citizens, said Anne Dunkelberg, associate |
| citizens could gain access to any federal health | | | | director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities in |
| insurance subsidies. | | | | Austin. |
| The concessions to immigration critics have | | | | |