*The eighth thing in the health care bill

Illegal immigrants aren't banned from buying coverage

The health care bill the House is planning to vote on Saturday night or Sunday morning was nearly derailed earlier in the week over concerns about provisions related to abortion and immigration. In our breakdown of the seven things in the bill to know, we overlooked one:

The house bill does not prohibit illegal immigrants from purchasing insurance policies through the exchange system that would be created. House leaders decided Thursday not to add such a ban at the urging of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

These immigrants would not be able to get federal subsidies for their coverage, the way low-income Americans would, but they could take advantage of the lower-cost exchanges. Consider this the eighth thing in the bill to know.

The Senate, meanwhile, still has a ways to go before finalizing its version of a health care overhaul.

-- Scott Montgomery, Congress.org

 

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