Within hours of the Supreme Court decision on Obama’s health care law, the Department of Health and Human Services came out with its guidance for refugees on how to get their Obamacare. Because we lost our internet connection for a couple of days, I wasn’t able to post this sooner.
Pre-existing condition? Not a US citizen? Can’t find work? No worries, line up!
Here is the guidance:
Refugee status is a form of protection that may be granted to people who meet the definition of refugee, are of special humanitarian concern to the United States, and are typically outside of their country and unable or unwilling to return home because they fear serious harm. Refugees come to the United States to start a new life. They work hard to find jobs and provide for their families. Today, many refugees lack health insurance, making it hard for them to get the care they need.
Refugees, as lawfully present immigrants, are eligible for the same protections and benefits under the Affordable Care Act as U.S. citizens. Refugees will remain exempt from the five‐year waiting period to receive Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and will receive many new benefits thanks to health reform. The benefits and protections in the Affordable Care Act are particularly important for refugees, who often arrive to the United States after years without access to proper medical care, and in many cases work for employers who do not provide health insurance. As outlined below, the new law will give refugees access to affordable health coverage and protection against insurance practices that can deny coverage to individuals with pre‐existing conditions or those who become ill.
At the end of the guidance, note that all of those youths (thousands annually) who come across our borders illegally and end up in the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Unaccompanied Minor Program, will get their health care until age 26 just like all of your kids!
Effective 2014, states must extend Medicaid coverage up to age 26 for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system, including those aging out of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program.
Of course now we have the answer to our previous question—are the unaccompanied illegal alien minors returned to their home country once they reach the age of 18? Nope!