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Joined: Dec 07, 2008 Posts: 2240 Location: Orange County, California
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:06 am Post subject: Immigration To Further Complicate Health Fix; Questions Like
Immigration To Further Complicate Health Fix;
Questions Likely Over Coverage of Workers
Roll Call
June 11, 2009 Thursday
Jennifer Bendery, Roll Call Staff
House Democrats leading the charge on health care reform will soon have another major hurdle to overcome beyond public options and employer mandates: immigration reform.
The issue of undocumented workers receiving health care benefits is one that remains largely untouched amid talks on a health care overhaul, but one that is likely to soon bubble up.
“We’re going to confront immigration issues in the health care measure,” said one senior Democrat involved in negotiations on the bill. “We all recognize that as we continue to talk about all the components of health care reform, the issue of immigrants will come up, legal and undocumented. We have to figure out how to deal with them.”
The lawmaker said Democratic leaders have raised the issue with committees overseeing health care reform and asked them to address it in their discussions on the legislation.
Topics being discussed include “everything you can think of that would implicate an immigrant,” the Member said. “What do you do with coverage for the undocumented? What do you do with a temporary worker who’s here only to work? What do you do with a student here on a visa? All those issues are now being discussed.”
At this stage, however, there have been no discussions on how to link them to health care legislation, the lawmaker added.
Democratic leaders resoundingly support immigration reform. But they have given little insight into when and how they plan to move forward on the contentious issue.
Moving too quickly to pass a major overhaul could jeopardize other high-priority bills on the schedule; waiting too long could rile Latinos in their party.
Key negotiators on the health care bill either steered clear of the issue or pointed out how most lawmakers prefer to do so.
“I don’t know if it will play a role in this bill. I don’t think we’ve come to that issue yet,” House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said. “There’s too many other issues that we’re dealing with.”
House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) was even more circumspect. “Undocumented workers? Undocumented people?” he said with an incredulous tone. “This Congress never likes talking about things like that.”
Rangel wouldn’t say if or how the issue might surface in health care legislation. But the reality is that a large number of people, including undocumented residents, “are going to continue to receive [public] health services, and we will be providing for ... benefits, community health centers, emergency rooms,” he said.
Some Republicans are already predicting the issue will come to the forefront as health care unfolds in the coming months.
“I just can’t believe it won’t be brought up,” said Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus.
Bilbray said Congress will have to discuss whether health care reform “for everyone” will include coverage for the estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants in the country. He said any piece of legislation will have to include E-Verify, a computer system that links a person’s Social Security number to eligibility for health care services.
Without E-Verify, Democrats “will be allowing public funding to people who are illegally in the country,” Bilbray said.
While the intersection of immigration and health care reform may be unavoidable, several Democratic lawmakers and aides noted that nobody wants to touch the issue for now since negotiations on health care reform are already so delicate.
“We’re just in the initial stages right now,” one senior House Democratic aide said. The role of undocumented workers “hasn’t been our focus yet. It’s like the third rail here.”
Still, the aide continued, lawmakers will have to look at undocumented residents when it comes time to address how to move people out of emergency rooms — the default source of health care for many illegal immigrants — and into preventive health.
“The real question comes, if there’s a public option, how do you deal with that? I don’t know,” the aide said.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has made immigration reform its No. 1 priority this year and is presenting itself as a force to be reckoned with on the issue.
“There’s very little space between any member of the caucus on immigration, which is excellent,” House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (Calif.) said.
“Now you have 20-some-odd Members who I think are ready to act as a unit on issues that are very important on, say, immigration. I guarantee you, there aren’t that many caucuses that can actually hold their Members on really crucial issues like that,” Becerra said.
Added another CHC member: “We are advocating everywhere: the Senate, the House, the White House.” Immigration, the Member said, is the issue that “trumps all the other stuff that is before us right now.”
While Democratic leaders may want to hold off on the issue to take on other domestic priorities, this lawmaker insisted there is no time like the present.
“It’s never the right time. There’s an economic upswing, ‘Oh, we can’t jeopardize that.’ There’s an economic downswing, people are panicking,” he said.
Still, there are some top Democrats who say they doubt that immigration matters will have a role in health care reform.
“We’re going to deal with these as separate issues,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said. He noted recent comments by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicating his interest in tackling immigration reform in a comprehensive manner, not in a piecemeal approach.
Other lawmakers point out that even if Democrats don’t want to talk about undocumented workers during the health care debate, they may have no choice given how the issue resonates back home.
“The flu doesn’t discriminate based on citizenship,” Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) said, adding that he has a lot of legal and undocumented immigrants in his district. “There are a whole lot of issues that are going to have be dealt with.”
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:14 am Post subject: Simple Solutions!
The way to fix the exorbitance health care cost and the illegals problem, can be accomplished in one solution. The illegals have to pay for their own health care at the time services are rendered, or they don't get health care. And/or just don't give them health care and then they will have more of an incentive to get out of OUR country!
I sure as heck don't want to have to pay for Universal Health care for everyone on our country, legally or illegally. In fact, I don't want to pay for health care for anyone else. Universal Health care is a bigger mess than anything we have now.
Joined: Dec 07, 2008 Posts: 2240 Location: Orange County, California
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:30 am Post subject:
ELE wrote: "I sure as heck don't want to have to pay for Universal Health care for everyone on our country, legally or illegally."
Well, darn, ELE, I thought you were independently wealthy like the government thinks the rest of us are and would be more than happy to pay for health care for EVERYONE!!!
Joined: Nov 01, 2007 Posts: 3652 Location: New Alien City-(formerly New York City)
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:30 am Post subject: Re: Simple Solutions!
ELE wrote:
The way to fix the exorbitance health care cost and the illegals problem, can be accomplished in one solution. The illegals have to pay for their own health care at the time services are rendered, or they don't get health care.
I believe that is how Mexico does it for non-citizens.
ELE wrote:
And/or just don't give them health care and then they will have more of an incentive to get out of OUR country!
BINGO! _________________ If a man sneaks into your home he is a burglar, not an undocumented tenant you must provide for!
Well, we're already providing free health care for illegals. They use the ER as their personal physicians and then don't pay. _________________ "A Nation of sheep will beget a government of Wolves" -Edward R. Murrow
I am old enough to remember when the NHS in the UK actually worked. Until, among other things, we joined the EU. People came from far & wide for our 'free' health care - well, free for them but not for the rest of us who were paying (when I left) 9% of our salaries for it.
I honestly don't think any kind of universal health care woud work here in the US simply because of the sheer numbers involved.
Joined: Dec 07, 2007 Posts: 7164 Location: Tarheel State
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:06 pm Post subject:
scottiemum: WELCOME, and thank you for your input. It is truly appreciated.
I say, "NO" to undocumented children getting FREE MEDICAL
On the Washington Journal the other day someone said they are going to give undocumented kids free medical.
Is this not our answer?
Every US Citizen needs to be calling and commenting to Congress.
How are we going to afford it? And this lessens the coverage and raises the cost for ALL US CITIZENS.
When an illegal is in the ER, ICE needs to get to the hospital, and the immigrants should be deported. Every agency that gets taxpayer money or anyone that gets tax credits or deductions of any kind must be required to report every immigrant: legal or illegal. _________________ Politics of Illegal Immigration - Census, E-Verify, and I9s: http://tinyurl.com/3ru8w5
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Every agency that gets taxpayer money or anyone that gets tax credits or deductions of any kind must be required to report every immigrant: legal or illegal. 