Myth 28. Healthcare reform bills will not cover illegal aliens.
Monday, December 7, 2009 at 12:00AM The growing number of “48 million uninsured” includes perhaps 15 million illegal aliens (Phoenix Business Journal 7/22/09).
Obama’s statement that “ the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally” elicited the notorious “You lie” outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC).
Currently proposed legislation does not explicitly extend coverage to illegal aliens, only to legal non-citizen residents. Of course, illegals could be made legal through other legislation. Some say that amnesty is on the legislative agenda immediately after “healthcare reform” and energy taxes (“cap and trade”), writes James R. Edwards, Jr. (Center for Immigration studies 10/2/09).
All four bills that had passed committees as of September would allow illegal aliens to take part in Health Insurance Exchanges (Charles Krauthammer, Ariz Daily Star 9/19/09).
And what about the taxpayer subsidies (“affordability credits”)? On July 16, an amendment by Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) that would have required use of the Systemic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to prevent illegals’ accessing these credits was defeated by the House Ways and Means Committee.
At present, 71 other means-tested federal programs require use of the SAVE system.
The National Council of La Raza launched a “flood their voice mail” campaign to pressure Sen. Baucus to drop verification language (Stephen Dinan, Wash Times 9/28/09).
If all uninsured illegal aliens with incomes below 400% of poverty accessed the credits, it would cost federal taxpayers $30.5 billion annually. The current cost to all levels of government for treating uninsured illegals is estimated to be $4.3 billion, primarily at emergency rooms and free clinics (Newsmax.com 9/8/09).
Uninsured illegals use less medical care than average because they tend to be young. Affordability credits, however, would be the same for all regardless of age or preexisting condition (ibid.).
Medicaid also does not require identity verification for those claiming U.S. birth. Illegals would also likely benefit from proposed expansion of eligibility to 133% of poverty (ibid.).
Illegals might not sign up for benefits, especially if it required filing a tax form. It is not clear that the private sector, especially hospitals, would see any relief from the enormous unfunded mandate (www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLJxmJZXgNI) to treat indigent illegals not covered by government programs.
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Reader Comments (3)
NO LEGISLATION IS REQUIRED FOR ILLEGALS TO BE COVERED. ALL AN ILLEGAL FAMILY NEEDS IS AN "ANCHOR BABY", A BABY BORN TO AN ILLEGAL FAMILY IN THE USA.
THE BABY IS A CITIZEN MAKING ALL THE ANCHOR BABY'S ILLEGAL ALIEN FAMILY MEMBERS ELIGIBLE FOR COVERAGE. YOU WON'T HEAR THIS IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA.
I AM THANKFULLY RETIRED FROM HEALTHCARE BUT KEEP MY LICENSE ACTIVE AND AM ABLE TO RELATE TO THE CURRENT AGGRAVATION WITH THIRD PARTY PAYMENTS.
ANOTHER UNSPOKEN PROBLEM WITH THIS REGRESSIVE LEGISLATION IS THE UNFUNDED MANDATES HIDDEN WITHIN.
POLITICOS ARE LOYAL ONLY TO THEIR PARTY. GO TO A FEW MEETINGS IN YOUR AREA AND JUST LISTEN. THEY ARE BRAINWASHED DRONES HOPING TO CLIMB THE LADDER.
THIS BILL WILL EXPAND MEDICAID EXPONENTIALLY AND AS WE KNOW, MOST OF MEDICAID IS FUNDED NOT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BUT THE STATE GOVERNMENT. WHEN FREE MEDICAL CARE BECOMES AVAILABLE WE ALL KNOW, I DO FROM EXPERIENCE IN AN HMO SETTING, THAT OFFICES WILL BE SWAMPED WITH PATIENTS WHO ARE THE MOST UNRELIABLE ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO ADHERING TO APPOINTMENTS. SO YOU HAVE TO DOUBLE AND TRIPLE BOOK.
THEN, WHERE ARE STATES NEARING BANKRUPTCY AND LAYING OFF EMPLOYEES GOING TO FIND THE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS TO FUND THIS MANDATE?
WELL, THEY COULD USE CAFR FUNDS BUT THEY HOPE THE PUBLIC NEVER FINDS OUT ABOUT THAT. CAFR MEANS "COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT" ALL STATES TAKE MONEY COLLECTED FROM US TAXPAYERS AND INVEST IT IN PRIVATE BUSINESSES VIA STOCK, REAL ESTATE, ETC.
FOR INSTANCE, CALIFORNIA HAS OVER A TRILLION DOLLARS LISTED IN THEIR CAFR FUNDS. THEY COULD EASILY CLEAR THEIR $20 BILLION IN DEBT BY WRITING A CHECK BUT THEY WON'T. I
N FLORIDA THIS FUND IS MANAGED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION CONSISTING OF THE GOVERNOR, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE STATE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER. LAST YEAR THESE THREE IDIOTS LOST OVER $200 MILLION FROM INVESTING TAX MONEY HANDED OVER BY LOCALITIES IN BAD REAL ESTATE AND NOT PAYING ATTENTION WHEN THE MARKET CRASHED.
GOVERNOR CRIST IS SO SELF SERVING AND DUMB ITS PATHETIC. I HEAR IT TOOK HIM MULTIPLE TRIES TO PASS THE FLORIDA BAR. THE OTHER TWO CRONIES ON THIS BOARD ARE THE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR TO REPLACE CRIST.
IF YOU THINK THESE FOOLS THAT WE KEEP ELECTING ARE GOING TO CHANGE THEIR TUNE, WAKE UP. ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY ARE ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH PARTY IS IN POWER. ITS THE DEMOPUBLICANS AND REPUBLICRATS.
A DECENT PERSON RUNNING FOR OFFICE HAS NO CHANCE UNLESS HE IS WEALTHY. THEN THE OPPOSITION WILL PAINT FALSE PICTURES OF WOE TO DISCREDIT THAT PERSON. THE PUBLIC IS ALWAYS ASLEEP AND ABSORBS THIS KOOL AID FROM MAINSTREAM MEDIA WHICH MEANS THE LIKLIHOOD OF EVER HAVING A DECENT PERSON IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHO HAS NOT SOLD HIS/HER SOUL TO THE DEVIL IS INFINITESIMAL.
SHOULD THAT PERSON EVER MAKE IT, LIFESPAN WOULD BE A PERTINENT ISSUE.
Just because a kid is born here does not make that kid a citizen automatically ,that kid has to be born of two americans to make it a legal citizen of this country.There is nowhere in the constitution or bill of rights that gives automatic citizenship unles both parents are legal Americans.