Washington, DC—NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, applauded the passage of the “Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010” (H.R. 4872) following its approval in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. This package significantly improves health care reform overall for the Latino community.
“With the passage of this bill, Congress has broken down major coverage barriers that uniquely affect Latinos, going a long way to provide critical gateways to health insurance. The new policies in this bill ensure that residents of Puerto Rico are no longer frozen out of the health care system, taking another step toward equity. Legal immigrants have also secured an affordable health insurance option,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.
During floor deliberations, the U.S. Senate beat back amendments that would have further restricted legal immigrants’ access to health insurance. Members of the Senate also set the record straight by solidifying their intentions to reach all legal immigrant communities required to purchase insurance.
“Senator Robert Menendez once again showed that he’s a true champion, making sure there was no confusion that hardworking legal immigrant families should gain affordable access to care under this plan,” lauded Murguía. “Now that a robust health care reform plan has been secured, NCLR stands ready to work with our national leaders to get every eligible American insured.”
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