Hillary Clinton: Illegal Immigrants Should Be Allowed to Get Obamacare

Hillary Clinton told CNN that she supports illegal immigrants being able to enroll in taxpayer-funded Obamacare.

Illegal immigrants should be able to get Obamacare plans because it is “moral” and also because it will keep “ourselves healthy” to make sure the illegals who share our country with us are healthy, she said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday night.

Clinton has been trying to force her way to the left of Bernie Sanders on illegal immigration issues during the contentious Democratic primary process, with seemingly little regard for how such views will play in the general election. Now Republicans have another choice nugget for attack ads.

“There are two steps here,” Clinton said. “If someone can afford to pay for an insurance policy off the exchanges that were set up under the Affordable Care Act, I support that.”

“Even if they’re undocumented?” Cooper asked.

“Yes. If they can afford it, they should be able to go into the marketplace and buy it,” Clinton responded.

Clinton said that she is not yet ready to give taxpayer-funded subsidies to illegal immigrants, but suggested that an amnesty for illegal immigrants would allow them to get subsidies, worth roughly $5,000 per person per year.

It is not going to apply to people who are in need of subsidies in order to afford that. Because the subsidies question has to be worked out in comprehensive immigration reform. What I do want to see is that we have more options for undocumented people to be able to get the health care they need.

Getting illegals into Obamacare “is not only the right and moral thing to do for them, it’s also important that we keep ourselves healthy, and public health requires that,” Clinton added.