Committee Rejects Amendment To Bar Undocumented Immigrants From Receiving Some State-Funded Health Care Benefits
The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted 4-2 to reject a proposed amendment (ACA 6) to the state constitution that would have prevented undocumented immigrants from receiving state-funded health care, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports. However, the amendment by Assembly member Mark Wyland (R-Vista) could "resurface" next year as a ballot measure, according to the AP/Union-Tribune (Lawrence, AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/6).
The proposed amendment would have prevented undocumented immigrants from receiving health care and other benefits through some state-funded programs. The proposal also would have prevented undocumented immigrants from receiving some social services not required by federal law. Under the amendment, undocumented immigrants would have access to emergency health services (California Healthline, 7/5).
In related news, several studies presented on Wednesday at a forum at the University of California-Berkeley addressed the health care relationship between the United States and Mexico, the Contra Costa Times reports. The studies are part of a group of binational projects coordinated by the University of California California-Mexico Health Initiative and funded by a group of U.S. and Mexican government and academic organizations.
A study by Steven Wallace, associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and a colleague at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana, Mexico, found that more U.S. citizens seek health care services in Tijuana than residents of Mexico seek health care services in San Diego. Wallace said one survey indicated that 3% to 5% of California residents sought lower-cost medical services in Mexico.
In addition, a study by Daniel Grossman -- a physician and researcher at the Population Council, an international organization that researches public health -- found that about 20% of the women who recently visited San Diego's largest abortion clinic had addresses in Mexico. Nearly a quarter of those women said they did not trust Mexican abortion providers.
Other studies presented at the conference addressed:
- Mental health issues related to migration;
- Obesity rates among migrant women and children; and
- Payment for health care services in Mexico using remittances from the United States (Hoffman, Contra Costa Times, 7/7).