Statement
September 30, 2015
Contact:
CALIFORNIA: Healy Ko, hko@nakasec.org
ILLINOIS: Nayoung Ha, nayoung@chicagokrcc.org
VIRGINIA/NATIONAL: Emily Kessel, eakessel@nakasec.org
NAKASEC and Affiliates Respond to Rep. Gutierrez’s New Bill: Expanding Access to ACA to Hardworking Undocumented Immigrants
Washington DC – Today, Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the Exchange Exclusion for a Healthy America Act 2015, a bill that allows everyone, regardless of immigration status, to purchase health insurance by lifting restrictions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ObamaCare. This bill would make it possible for hardworking undocumented immigrants, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, to apply and purchase health insurance, provided that they can establish proof of residency and tax-filings.
In response to Rep. Gutierrez’s new bill, NAKASEC Executive Director Dae Joong Yoon, KRCC Executive Director Inhe Choi, and KRC Interim Executive Director Jenny Seon released the following statement: “It is reassuring to see positive legislation extending opportunities to millions of community members who raise families and contribute to our economy but are excluded from health care insurance exchanges simply because they do not have papers. KRC has been working on ACA since its inception and together with NAKASEC, KRCC, and our local partners have seen many families and individuals, including DACA recipients, left out because of their immigration status. The Exchange Exclusion for Health America Act 2015 is a good step forward and reassures us that we are not alone in the fight for a fair immigration reform and the expansion of benefits for our immigrant families. We ask community members to call their members of Congress and urge them to support this forward-thinking bill.”
Please view the following video to watch the Congressman’s speech:
[wm_video src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pOB62zpGLM” poster=”” class=”” /]and click this link to view the release from his office.
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