Senator: No Health Insurance for Illegal Migrants

Illegal immigrants won't be entitled to medical insurance under the health legislation Congress is working on, a leading lawmaker said Thursday.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the health overhaul would cover nearly everyone — 94 percent to 96 percent of the population — but not undocumented workers. Baucus is chairman of the Finance Committee, which has taken the lead in drafting the sweeping legislation.

"We aren't going to cover undocumented workers because that's too politically explosive," Baucus said during a session with reporters, in which he previewed legislation he expects to introduce by mid-June.

President Barack Obama wants Congress to revamp health care this year, and Baucus says he's confident a bill can pass with support from both parties.

Baucus said his bill would build on the current system in which employers, government and individuals share in paying health care costs. It's likely to include a requirement that individuals get insurance coverage, either through an employer, a government plan or on their own. He said the plan will include "incentives" — and perhaps requirements — for employers to help pay.

People would be able to keep the coverage they already have. But those who can't find coverage now — and people who are looking for something better — would be able to buy a plan through a new kind of purchasing pool called an "exchange." Consumers would have a choice of private insurance plans, and most likely, a government-sponsored one as well.

Plans in the exchange would have to offer at least a standard benefits package and wouldn't be able to discriminate against people with health problems. The government would provide subsidies for low- and middle-income households who can't afford the whole premium.

Baucus didn't say how much his plan would cost, but outside estimates have put the price tag in the range of $1.5 trillion over ten years. Most of the money would be raised by making the health care system more efficient, said Baucus. Government programs like Medicare would start paying for the quality of care, not the number of tests and procedures that patients get.