Kidcare for Legal Immigrants
Passes All Committees
I am proud to co-sponsor this significant piece of legislation. In an effort to help families that have legally immigrated to Florida, the House has unanimously passed House Bill 89 throug hall three of its comittees. I believe this is an important step in acknowledging families that have gone through the proper immigration channels to live in this country legally. If these children and their parents have followed our laws, they should be able to access the same services any other Florida family can.
The bill eliminates a five-year waiting period for children of legal immigrants to be eligible for the state's Kidcare health insurance program. Kidcare is a federally subsidized program that serves uninsured children from low- and moderate-income families. If enacted into law, these children would be immediately eligible for health care coverage through Kidcare, which includes the Medicaid, Children's Medical Services and Florida Healthy Kids programs. Eligibility is not being extended to undocumented immigrants. Similar legislation has been adopted in nearly 30 other states, including Texas, Ohio, Virginia, and Nebraska. I look forward to supporting this compassionate bill as it makes its way through the legislative process this session.
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