Congressional Republicans from California are urging President Barack Obama’s administration to reject the state’s request to sell insurance policies to people living in the country illegally through its health insurance exchange.
Nine of California’s 14 congressional Republicans signed the letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. Their missive is dated June 24 and was made public Wednesday.
The lawmakers call California’s request “a brazen attempt to circumvent the will of Congress,” which required insurance exchanges to verify legal presence as part of Obama’s health care law.
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation this month requiring Covered California to request a waiver from the mandate to verify legal residence. Obama’s Affordable Care Act allows the federal agencies to grant waivers beginning next year.