This Jan. 10, 2013 file photo show Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in her office at the Capitol in Phoenix. Governors who reject health insurance for the poor under the federal health care overhaul could wind up in a politically awkward position on immigration: A quirk in the law means some U.S. citizens would be forced to go without coverage, while legal immigrants residing in the same state could still get it. Arizona officials called attention to the problem last week, when Brewer announced she would accept the expansion of Medicaid offered under Obama's law. Brewer had been a leading opponent of the overhaul, and her decision got widespread attention. Budget documents cited the immigration glitch as one of her reasons. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
(AP)—There's another quirk in the federal health care law.
Here's the glitch: Governors who reject health insurance for the poor under the federal overhaul could wind up in an awkward position on immigration:
Some U.S. citizens would be forced to go without coverage, while legal immigrants residing in the same state could still get it.
It's the result of how last year's Supreme Court decision changed the Medicaid provisions of President Barack Obama's health care law. Medicaid was complicated enough before the overhaul. The Supreme Court decision made it trickier.
Arizona officials called attention to the problem last week, when Republican Gov. Jan Brewer announced she would accept the law's Medicaid expansion. The Obama administration confirmed Arizona's interpretation.
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Immigration fallout from saying no to 'Obamacare' (2013, January 23)
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