We believe high quality physical and mental health care and prescription drug access is a right and must be affordable and accessible to all.

The following priciples are the guidelines CAUSA supports for  developing health reform legislation consistent.

Employer Coverage

• Nothing in heath care reform legislation should impose additional verification/documentation requirements on an individual in order to participate in any new or existing health care program or receive any service based upon the individual’s status as an employee beyond proof of employment.   
• Health care reform may include provisions that will mandate employer coverage or financial participation.  If such employer mandates are adopted, no distinctions for any purpose should be made among workers based upon immigration status.

Individual Mandates

• No mandate to purchase coverage should be in place unless access to a subsidy to help pay for coverage based upon income and without regard to immigration status is also available.

Eligibility for Subsidies to Purchase Insurance - including the Public Plan - through the Exchange

• It is vital to the success of health care reform that a public option to private insurance is established.  Everyone should be eligible to purchase such an option or to choose a private insurance option, and to receive subsidies to make all such coverage options affordable, free from any restrictions based on immigration status. 

Affordability

Regardless of how people access health insurance coverage – through the public plan, a private plan, or through their employer – premiums and copays must be truly affordable so that individuals will not avoid care for fear of out-of-pocket contributions.

Expand and strengthen existing public programs

• Medicaid and CHIP should be expanded to require coverage of legal immigrants with no waiting period, subject only to the same rules regarding income as are generally applicable.
• If one person in a family or household is eligible for benefits offered by a program and those benefits are normally available to partners and dependents, any immediate family member or partner should have linked eligibility for coverage to ensure that mixed status families have access to care.

Quality

• Adequate funding is necessary for meaningful access to cultural competence and language services in public programs.
• Workforce diversity initiatives should address the need for bilingual workforce development programs for communities where language services are most needed.
• Resources should be available for community-based organizations to facilitate access to health care within their communities and promote positive health outcomes through education and empowerment.
• There should be greater monitoring and enforcement of civil rights laws that prevent discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and national origins in health care services.
• Data regarding primary language, race, and ethnicity should be collected and utilized to improve healthcare delivery.