Health care issues become hurdle for immigration reform measure

The key question that seems to have stalled progress for House lawmakers is how to handle immigrants who do not have health insurance.

Los Angeles Times: Immigrant Health Care Bills Stump House Group
Differences over whether immigrants should be deported for failing to have health insurance or pay their health care bills have stalled a bipartisan group of House lawmakers, who blew past a self-imposed Thursday deadline as they pressed forward on a sweeping immigration overhaul (Mascaro, 5/23).

The Wall Street Journal: House Immigration Effort Hits Bump In The Road
Last week, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers thought they had a broad deal on how to overhaul the immigration system. This week, they don't. The eight House lawmakers were forced to backtrack from the "agreement in principle" reached last Thursday after House Democratic leaders objected to a provision dealing with health care coverage for illegal immigrants living in the U.S., according to aides from both parties. The group continued to meet this week, and its members remained hopeful they would be able to strike a deal that passes muster among all involved (Peterson, 5/23).

Modern Healthcare: Taxpayers Won't Pay Health Care Costs For Undocumented Immigrants
Two days after the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) promised that U.S. taxpayers would not bear the cost of health care coverage for undocumented immigrants who are on the path to citizenship. Earlier reports had hinted that the coverage provisions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act might be a sticking point as House members draft their own immigration-reform legislation (Zigmond, 5/23).