Officials from California's health insurance exchange, Covered California, are trying to dispel the belief that enrolling in a health plan will put immigrant family members living in the country illegally at risk of deportation. They say that notion is widespread among Latinos.
Covered California representatives are teaming up with immigration rights groups and government officials to correct the record. They’re sending the message out, through fact sheets and ads on Spanish-language television, that families of mixed immigration status have nothing to fear.
Pedro Ribeiro, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said it’s a myth that his agency gets information from Covered California. He said people who sign up for coverage can rest easy.
"Enrolling in health coverage will not prevent your loved ones who are undocumented from getting a green card in the future, or put family members who do not yet have a green card at risk,” Ribeiro said.
Covered California officials said last year, about one in three people who enrolled in a plan were Latino. Still, an estimated 600,000 Latinos in California are uninsured.
