Conrad Clarifies Position on Citizenship Verification

Okay, some good news from Brian Beutler:

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) told reporters today that while non-citizens won’t be barred, under Senate Finance Committee legislation from entering health insurance exchanges, the exchanges themselves will require all consumers to show proof of citizenship, in order to insure that undocumented residents don’t receive any federal subsidies.

“You can’t prevent someone from being able to purchase insurance,” Conrad said. “They would not get any government assistance…. What we’re trying to prevent is anybody who is here illegally from getting any federal benefit.”

That’s not how I would write the law if it were up to me, but it’s not as unreasonable as the proposal that was being attributed to Conrad and Max Baucus this morning.