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2021 Special Session I

Budget Amendments - SB1100 (Floor Approved)

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Health Care Coverage Options for Undocumented Children (language only)

Item 291 #1s

Item 291 #1s

Health and Human Resources
Secretary of Health and Human Resources

Language

Page 318, after line 53, insert:

"F. The Secretary of Health and Human Resources, or his designee, shall convene a workgroup of appropriate agencies within the secretariat and other stakeholders, as necessary, to research and recommend strategies for the financing of health care services for undocumented immigrant children. The workgroup shall: (i) identify the number of children who would qualify and their geographic location; (ii) demonstrate the impact a lack of health care coverage has on these children; (iii) determine the financial burden carried by hospital systems and other healthcare facilities that currently provide care for these children; (iv) identify the existing barriers these children face when trying to access essential medical services in a timely manner; (v) identify the long-term health impacts to children who do not have health care coverage and the future cost the Commonwealth will incur as a result; and (vi) recommend options for providing health care coverage to these children and the approximate cost to the Commonwealth."



Explanation

(This amendment directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a workgroup to research and recommend strategies for the financing of health care services for undocumented immigrant children. Approximately 13,000 immigrant children in Virginia lack health insurance and approximately 9,000 of those children live under 200 percent of the federal poverty level. They do not qualify for CHIP-funded (Children’s Health Insurance Program) health insurance due to their immigration status.)