WASHINGTON, D.C.- Another historic moment in the capital and Latinos are once again stuck in the middle.

The Senate voted along party lines Nov. 21 to begin debating land-mark health care legislation paving the way for the creation of a health care exchange that will cover 94% of the U.S. population and include a public option. All 58 Democrats and two independents voted to allow the bill to reach the Senate floor, while 39 Republicans opposed the bill. The Senate will begin debate on the bill after the Thanksgiving recess.

Unlike the House bill, which passed two weeks ago, the Senate bill contains no requirement that, to be eligible to participate, naturalized immigrants must have had U.S. residency status for at least five years. The Senate bill also contains a provision preventing undocumented workers from purchasing insurance from the health care exchange, leaving at least 7 million Hispanics without health insurance.

Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.), the lone Hispanic in the Senate, told Hispanic Link News Service he is optimistic that the waiting period for documented immigrants would be removed in conference when the House and Senate will work to reconcile their bills. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) noted to Hispanic Link that the House bill does make exceptions to the five-year ban for children and expectant mothers.

However, removing the Senate bill’s ban against undocumented immigrants may prove difficult. The White House endorsed the Senate provisions and has rebuffed efforts by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that would not deny undocumented immigrants the ability to purchase health insurance.

President Obama remains adamant “that the way you deal with” undocumented immigrants is by providing them with a path to legalize their status. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) says he plans to introduce such a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House soon.

Days ahead of the Senate cloture vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) stood with the rest of the Democrat leadership team Nov. 19 and, with a broad smile, told reporters, “We will pass major health care legislation.”  He compared its importance to the passage of Social Security and Medicare.

  Menéndez added the caution, “But the path ahead is a long one.”

Challenges to the Senate bill still loom as a number of centrist Democrats have expressed concerns over its inclusion of a public option, even though individual states could opt out of the government-run health insurance program.

A majority vote will be required for any amendments to the Senate bill, where the Democrats hold sway. The bill expands Medicaid and provides subsidies for persons of low income to help them buy private insurance or insurance under the public option.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the cost of the legislation would be offset and bill would reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion. It would also make health insurance a requirement for most people living in the United States.

(Erick Galindo, of Washington, D.C., is editor of Hispanic Link Weekly Report. Email: [email protected])

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