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Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Purchase Health Care
  1. Signatures
    520 out of 1,000,000
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The President of the United States
      • The U.S. Senate
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Efrén Paredes, Jr.
    Battle Creek, MI
About this Petition Petition Letter
Why This Is Important

Last week a new Senate Bill, H.R. 3590 "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," was introduced in Congress.  The bill disallows undocumented immigrants from purchasing insurance for themselves even with their own money.

"If they use their own money to purchase insurance without any taxpayer subsidy, it would make a lot of sense to offer that possibility," Sen. Robert Menendez (D.N.J.) told ABC's "Top Line" webcast according to The Hill.  Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., calls the Senate provisions "mean-spirited" and "dehumanizing."

This is a degrading, inhumane and unacceptable provision that must not be allowed to be included in the final health care bill.  As stated by Elena Rios, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association, "Diseases know no boundaries. The best idea would be to have everyone have health care." 

According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25(1):

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

It is a human right to allow people to have health care.  Denying anyone the opportunity to purchase health care with their own money is deplorable and shameful.  Please join us in signing this petition and sending a strong message to members of Congress and President Obama that this is not acceptable.

The Latino community and other citizens of conscience must stand together to oppose any provision that disallows another human being from paying for health care with their own money.

When you sign this petition an e-mail will be sent to members of Congress and President Obama.  Please share a link to this petition with others via Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and e-mail.

Recent Signatures

Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Purchase Health Care

Dear Member of Congress and President Obama,

According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25(1):

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

Last week a new Senate Bill, H.R. 3590 "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," was introduced in Congress. The bill contains a provision which disallows undocumented immigrants from purchasing insurance for themselves even with their own money.

This provision is a degrading, inhumane and deplorable policy that offends the Latino community, and expresses total disregard for the evolving standards of a civilized society. It is a human right to allow people to have health care. Denying anyone the opportunity to purchase health care with their own money is totally unacceptable.

This e-mail is to inform you that I strongly urge you to support an amendment in the health care bill that allows the 12 million undocumented immigrants to purchase health insurance with their own money.

There are 47 million members of the Latino community in this country. This reform will affect the lives of millions of people, and its outcome will affect the way that citizens vote at the polls next time you are considered for office.

It would not be wise to ignore the Latino community's position on this very important issue.

Sincerely,

[Your name]