By Megan Burks
Treating Uninsured Immigrants After Healthcare Reform
The Affrodable Care Act will not extend public health insurance to undocumented immigrants or legal residents who have lived in the United States for less than five years. Such individuals also won’t be able to purchase private insurance plans through state insurance exchanges. Young immigrants with a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals reprieves also won’t qualify for ACA benefits.
HealthyCal.org took a look this week at what counties and states will do to serve this population. Hospitals and some community clinics will still take uninsured patients, but could lose some federal funding that currently offsets the costs of unpaid treatment. The Health Equity and Accountability Act, proposed by Hawaiian Senator Daniel Akaka and currently in committee, would allow undocumented immigrants to participate in insurance exchanges.
Follow HealthyCal.org @HealthyCal.
California Had Second-Highest Number of Uninsured Kids Last Year
A report by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute found California had the second-highest count of uninsured kids in the nation in 2011.
According to the report, about 745,000 California children—or 8 percent—went without health insurance. Texas had the most uninsured kids.
A 2011 University of California Los Angeles report found City Heights had more than twice as many uninsured kids as San Diego County and the state.
Follow California Healthline @CalHealthline.
Jury Makes Conviction in ‘Vanishing Boys’ Case
The 2008 disappearance of Somali boys in Minnesota rocked the East African refugee community in the United States. The boys flew to the war-torn homeland their parents fled to fight alongside al-Shabab.
Earlier this month, a jury made its first conviction in the case. It found Mahamud Said Omar guilty of assisting a terrorist group. The janitor for a local mosque, Omar recruited some two dozen young men to fight in Somalia.
Here in San Diego, Somali refugees were hurt and confused by the disappearances. Many shared their thoughts at a 2011 screening of “Broken Dreams,” a documentary on the case. Click here to read a Q&A with the filmmaker.
Follow Somali Family Service @SomaliFamilySvc.
Reverse Angle Parking Could Benefit Cyclists
The city is considering installing reverse-angle parking spaces, according to 10 News San Diego. The spots require drivers to pull in backward, giving them better visibility when they pull out to leave. The proposal from City Council highlights the benefits for cyclists, who are at risk of being hit by car doors in traditional parking scenarios.
According to 10 News, the parking spots have stopped such crashes in some parts of Tucson, Ariz., going from 40 a year to zero.
For more bike news, follow Bike San Diego @bikesd.
More Things I Tweeted