Immigrants & Health Care Reform

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Cristina Jimenez

In the absence of immigration reform, Republicans are obsessed with targeting immigrants in every major domestic policy debate. This was the case in the debate over SCHIP and the stimulus package. And now we see it emerging once again as Congress considers health care reform.

Despite the fact that President Obama has clearly stated that undocumented immigrants will not be covered by a new health care plan, Republicans are using distorted information about eligibility to promote anti-immigrant sentiment while weakening support for health care reform. Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) and Paul Broun (R-GA), claim that the proposed health care plan is going to give "free health insurance" to the undocumented. Congressman Broun said:

This health care plan, Obamacare, is going to give every single one of those illegal aliens health insurance at the cost of taxpayers

Misinforming the public about the actual content of the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 is not the only tactic used by Republicans to attack immigrants and health care reform. They are also blaming immigrants for our health care crisis. In a recent press conference Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said:

We (Texas) have the highest number of uninsured. Mostly because of the illegal immigrant population

Of course, Hutchison's statement is another lie. A national study shows that U.S. citizens make up the majority of the uninsured (78%), while legal and undocumented immigrants account for only 22%. But this is not the worst. Recently, the Senate committee has announced that is considering denying health care coverage to documented immigrants, who pay the same taxes as citizens.

As the Immigration Policy Center points out in this easy to read fact sheet:

It is both good policy and common sense to treat access to health insurance for all as an investment in the nation's public health...Allowing millions of immigrants to purchase affordable health care will result in the payment of billions of dollars in insurance premiums, helping to pay the cost of health reform in America

Republicans will only continue to raise the issue of immigration in other policy discussions (promoting discrimination against immigrants and delaying the policy process), until the Obama administration and Congress pass immigration reform that integrates immigrants and strengthens our economy.

http://www.dmiblog.com/archives/2009/07/post_74.html

[Ban Hammer 13,369]

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I would say this. Even if Obama says illegal immigrants aren't eligible I believe they will enter the system anyway. If it can occur with the school system why not healthcare.

[trillium13 84]

Illegal immigrants already have "free health insurance". All they have to do is walk into any emergency room, they will not be denied. Neither will any of the rest of us, but we (those here legally in one way or another) will be tracked down in order to pay our bills. The illegals just disappear and leave the bill to the rest of us.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I think I see Steve in the wheelhouse.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Ohhhhhh this story is about ILLEGAL immigrants.

Silly Steven forgot that bit.

ILLEGAL Immigrants & Health Care Reform

Try to be honest Steven.

[almaty 19]

Ohhhhhh this story is about ILLEGAL immigrants.

Silly Steven forgot that bit.

ILLEGAL Immigrants & Health Care Reform

Try to be honest Steven.

...documented workers are not illegal ..

Of course, Hutchison's statement is another lie. A national study shows that U.S. citizens make up the majority of the uninsured (78%), while legal and undocumented immigrants account for only 22%. But this is not the worst. Recently, the Senate committee has announced that is considering denying health care coverage to documented immigrants, who pay the same taxes as citizens.

[peejay 327]

Ohhhhhh this story is about ILLEGAL immigrants.

Silly Steven forgot that bit.

ILLEGAL Immigrants & Health Care Reform

Try to be honest Steven.

...documented workers are not illegal ..

Of course, Hutchison's statement is another lie. A national study shows that U.S. citizens make up the majority of the uninsured (78%), while legal and undocumented immigrants account for only 22%. But this is not the worst. Recently, the Senate committee has announced that is considering denying health care coverage to documented immigrants, who pay the same taxes as citizens.

If you follow Steven's link in the article to the Daily Kos you will find that the US population of foreign born is 12%, but they account for 22% of the uninsured. Why should the US taxpayer have to pick up the tab for foreigners imported into our country? If these people are a liability to the many while providing the benefit of cheap labor to the few, it really doesn't benefit the vast majority of Americans. It costs us. You also have to ask about the motives of importing roughly 150,000 foreigners into the USA monthly while the USA has 9+% unemployment with no significant reduction in sight. To say that immigration policy in the USA is poorly and incompetently run is an understatement. Do you really want these idiots running the healthcare system too? Not to mention that Social Security and Medicare are rapidly heading toward bankruptcy.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/1...-Economic-Sense

[HAL 9000 96]

US population foreign born: 12%

12% of 304,059,724 = 36,487,167

22% of uninsured (47 million estimate) in US

22% of 47,000,000 = 10,340,000

only point in Steven's link where 22% comes up:

Nor do immigrants have high levels of emergency room usage. According to the non-partisan Kaiser Commission, noncitizens are less likely than citizens to use the emergency room. In 2006, 20% of U.S.-citizen adults and 22% of U.S.-citizen children had visited the emergency room within the past year. In contrast, 13% of noncitizen adults and 12% of noncitizen children had used emergency room care.