Thread: Why should state be illegals' insurer?

http://www.dailynews.com/theiropinion/ci_3956619

Why should state be illegals' insurer?

BY CHUCK DEVORE, Guest Columnist
LA Daily News

Should your tax money encourage illegal immigrants to come to California by subsidizing health insurance costs for anyone who makes less than a certain amount of money, regardless of immigration status?
This is the basic policy question at stake in California's budget negotiations.

Healthy Families provides a subsidy to parents for children's HMO health coverage. The program now covers parents who make up to $44,000 a year for a family of four - 250 percent of federal poverty level - allowing them to purchase insurance for about $7 a month for one child and $14 for two or more. Identical HMO coverage purchased as an individual would run about $184 a month for one child and $240 for two or more.

Healthy Families costs state taxpayers about $380 million per year, with the federal government covering an additional $660 million, or two-thirds of the cost. The federal help comes with conditions, of course, stipulating that no one in America illegally may benefit from the federal subsidy.

Democrats want to expand coverage to include illegal immigrant parents who make up to $53,000 a year for a family of four. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger believes we can't afford to implement the whole program, but wants instead to reimburse 18 counties that have started their own program to cover illegal immigrants. As both plans violate federal guidelines, state taxpayers would be on the hook for all of the expanded costs of the program.

Sacramento Democrats are hoping to get a head start on this big government health-care expansion, expecting voters to approve a massive new tobacco tax slated for the November ballot. The measure would quadruple the cigarette tax, adding $2.60 a pack, to fund a huge increase in government health care, including paying for health insurance for illegal immigrants.

If the tobacco tax passes, smokers would pay for this program. But if it doesn't, all Californian taxpayers would be on the hook for about $500 million a year.

Last week, Katie Levinson, the governor's campaign spokesperson, said, "The governor has made clear, time and again, that children should not be punished for the actions of their parents." But the question should be: Are we willing to confer a valuable public benefit on lawbreakers who earn as much as three times the federal poverty level?

Consider this: If you are a California family of four making $53,001 a year, you don't qualify for the Healthy Families subsidy worth about $225 a month. If, however, you are an illegal immigrant with the same-size family making $53,000 a year, you would qualify under this proposal, tantamount to an annual subsidy of more than $2,000.

This debate is about rewarding lawbreaking and encouraging illegal immigration. If the Healthy Families expansion is passed, in any form, it says to potential lawbreakers: If you're going to break the law, jump ahead of legal immigrants waiting in line, and come to America, be sure to come to California since we have the best deal for you; never mind those 1,100 National Guard troops on the border.

Approval of health insurance benefits for illegal immigrants would erect a figurative bright neon sign over California reading: "Come here, we'll give you the best health care California taxpayers can provide."

Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, is a member of the California Assembly.

Oh well, they are going to do this as long as we the citizens allow them to!

I think that it is great that California is so liberal with American tax dollars. I just wish that they would keep all of their illegal Mexicans in California rather than allowing them to disperse throughout the country demanding the same kind of crap.
We not only need border security with Mexico, we also need to secure the California border from the rest of the USA.

Hey! I live in this barrio you call California! Dont fence me in!

LulaLun - better get out before we fence it up, run quick!