[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 20, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H3265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 URGING MEMBERS TO COSPONSOR H.R. 1143, THE LEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILDREN'S 
                     HEALTH IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2001

  (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Foley) for joining us in this very important effort.
  Today I rise to speak about the unfortunate fact that legal immigrant 
children and legal immigrant pregnant women do not have access to 
federal matching health care funds for health care services.
  Legal immigrants who enter the United States after August 22, 1996, 
must wait 5 years before they are eligible for either Medicaid or S-
CHIP medical services. While these legal immigrants sometimes get 
emergency medical care, they are ineligible for basic medical services 
that reduce the need for such emergency care. This makes no sense and 
unnecessarily increases the costs to taxpayers.
  The bill I have introduced, H.R. 1143, the Legal Immigrant Children's 
Health Improvement Act of 2001, will lift the 5-year ban currently in 
place for health services for lawfully present immigrant children and 
pregnant women who enter the United States after August 22, 1996. The 
bill gives States the option of extending such services. The 
legislation will provide coverage for between 150,000 and 200,000 legal 
immigrant children and about 50,000 legal immigrant pregnant women and 
their babies.
  I ask my colleagues to please cosponsor H.R. 1143.

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