By Matt Cover
(CNSNews.com) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it has awarded approximately $8.5 million in money from the ObamaCare health reform law to 25 new Migrant Health Centers designed to target the migrant farm worker population – money that may end up paying for free health care for illegal immigrants.
The money is part of $28.8 million in ObamaCare funds from the New Access Point grant program for community health centers. Migrant Health Centers are a special type of community health center that specifically targets migrant farm workers.
“These awards demonstrate a commitment to improving and expanding access to quality health care for local communities. We are removing barriers that stand in the way of affordable and accessible primary health services,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement on Tuesday announcing the grants.
The grants aim to establish new community health centers in a number of states across the country, with the aim of providing health care free-of-charge or at a reduced price for those making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The grants are being made through the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA).
The $8.5 million in ObamaCare funds will go toward opening new Migrant Health Centers, which focus on migrant farm workers who are poor or without health insurance.
“The Migrant Health Center program provides support to health centers to deliver comprehensive, high quality, culturally-competent preventive and primary health services to migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families,” the HRSA says on its Web site.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, illegal immigrants make up an estimated 25 percent of all migrant farm workers, with a disproportionate amount residing in the western and agricultural states, such as California, Texas, Florida, and Georgia.
“As a result of the concentration of unauthorized immigrants working in certain occupations, there are some occupations where they also represent a high proportion of workers. For example, 25% of farm workers are undocumented immigrants,” Pew said in a 2009 report.
This means that because these clinics are specifically targeting migrant farm workers, it is possible that federal funds, including the recently awarded ObamaCare grants, could go towards providing free health care to illegal immigrants.
CNSNews.com asked HRSA if there were any controls that prevented federal funds from paying for illegal immigrants’ health care. Spokeswoman Judy Andrews said that grant recipients did not collect immigration information.
“Health centers do not, as a matter of routine practice, ask about or collect data on citizenship or other matters not related to the treatment needs of the patients seeking health services at the center,” Andrews said.
Further, grant recipients are required to serve anyone who walks in their doors, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.
“The Program’s authorizing statute does not affirmatively address immigration status,” said Andrews. “Rather, it simply states that health centers are required to provide primary health care to all residents of the health center's service area without regard for ability to pay.”
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