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aGameOfThrones
12-17-2013, 01:27 AM
HOUSTON (AP) — Day after day, Adonias Arevalo tried to calm his parents' nerves, attempting to convince them it was safe for him to apply for government-subsidized health insurance through the nation's new coverage system.

Like many other immigrants, Arevalo's parents worried that personal information on their son's application could somehow draw immigration authorities' attention to the couple, who emigrated here illegally from El Salvador seven years ago.

After a week of discussion, the 22-year-old Houston man, who works at a community center and has temporary legal status, finally eased their fears. But other immigrant families remain leery, and some are so concerned that they would rather see loved ones go without coverage than risk giving personal information to a federal agency.

"They are afraid," Arevalo said. "The majority of families, they know it's something they need to do. ... They're just afraid of putting themselves out like that."

Immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally cannot participate in the system. But many have eligible relatives who are citizens or legal residents.

Since the system debuted in October, immigrant advocates and the federal government have been working to reassure families that their information will not be shared with enforcement agencies. The effort has led to changes in the main health care website and a memo from immigration authorities promising not to go after anyone based on insurance paperwork.

Immigrant families are important to the success of the health care overhaul, especially in Texas, which has the nation's highest rate of uninsured people, many of whom are immigrants.

Of the nearly 40 million people living in the U.S. who were born elsewhere, about a third do not have health insurance, according to census data. And about 9 million people in the U.S. belong to immigrant families in which at least one child is a citizen, according to the Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project.

It also said that applying to the insurance marketplace, Medicaid or the children's program known as CHIP will not mean immigrants are considered a "public charge," addressing a long-held concern that accepting a government benefit could jeopardize their chance of getting legal status or becoming a naturalized citizen.


http://news.yahoo.com/many-immigrants-hesitate-seek-health-insurance-192433697--finance.html

DamianTV
12-17-2013, 01:53 AM
Since the system debuted in October, immigrant advocates and the federal government have been working to reassure families that their information will not be shared with enforcement agencies.

Bwa ha ha ha ha!

What do they think the system was designed to do? It was designed with the intent of full distribution of any information gathered, to be used to the fullest extent of the Law. It has already been disclosed and disputed that Obamacare is Not HIPPA Compliant because it was designed not to be.