A road to citizenship for people who entered the country illegally seems more assured by the day, but what is less clear is how the healthcare landscape of California, and the nation, would also change. Would California’s estimated 2.5 million undocumented immigrants become eligible for health benefits? How would an already burdened health system absorb them? Obama’s plan would have immigrants wait at least eight years before they qualify for health benefits. A Congressional plan spearheaded by Republican senators Marco Rubio and John McCain pushes the wait to at least 10 years. This will create a two-tiered system of health, as well as perpetuate disparities in health, according to a new report at www.kpbs.org.
