Paula had breast cancer and knew that she needed a surgery at the Washington Howard University Hospital just to survive. Yet she told Reuters that she was more terrified about the doctors at the hospital than she was her surgery or recovery. Her fear was that they would discover her illegal immigrant status and send her back to Mexico in her condition. Paula says that her fear isn’t irrational. Every year, immigrants visit their doctors only to find that an undercover immigration investigator is prowling the medical facility. Other times the doctors act as agents and report illegal patients to the ICE.

Paula was able to remain in the U.S after her treatments, but now visits a health clinic for routine check-ups. The clinic is called La Clinica, and is visited by dozens of patients every week. Yet when Obama’s new healthcare administrations go into effect, men and women like Paula may end up in a dangerous situation. As told in the Reuters report, Obama’s new health care will require all U.S. Citizens to obtain health insurance. He will also require that all U.S. permanent residents obtain this insurance in case of a medical emergency. The Administration hopes that by requiring insurance, U.S. citizens will be at a lower risk to financial disaster from healthcare.

Men and women who can’t afford insurance can obtain Medicaid, the government offered program. Others who can afford a better package can choose private insurance from a state exchange. This will start in 2014. Yet requiring that all U.S. citizens have insurance will also pinpoint anyone who isn’t a legal citizen of the U.S. That is because these people won’t have the insurance. The tip-off may send doctor’s to the phones to call law enforcement and report an illegal immigrant in the office. The new insurance laws actually bar immigrants from participating. This is because it costs taxpayers to supply low-income families with Medicaid, and the Administration doesn’t want to use tax dollars on men and women who don’t have a legal right to be in the states.

Essentially, those who don’t have coverage will stand out when the law goes into effect. This means that 12 million immigrants in need of health care will be terrified to go to their physicians because they are inevitably going to expose themselves. Paula says that while the doctor’s won’t ever collect information about a patient’s immigration status, they will certainly take a lack of insurance as “code” for being illegal. Paula is one of the many undocumented immigrants that have DC Health Care Alliance insurance. This is one of the most generous tax-payer funded insurances that doesn’t ask for an immigration status.

In addition to the danger of being revealed to doctors, many immigrants are worried about their families of mixed status. When a child is born in the United States, that person is a naturalized citizen of the United States. For families that have U.S. citizen babies, they will need to obtain health insurance for the child but cannot obtain the insurances themselves. The Urban Institute says that 1 out of every 10 American families is of a mixed status. The issue has caused the Administration to consider barring immigrant families, even those with mixed status, from the law in order to keep costs down. If you are worried that your status will be exposed because of your lack of insurance, then talk to an immigration attorney. If you secure the right attorney now, it might make things easier for you in the future. Locate a lawyer near you using this directory!