Thread: Health care plan doesn't require proof of citizenship

Health care plan doesn't require proof of citizenship

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa - Kiron, Iowa

USA TODAY's editorial "Misinformation, mayhem mar debate on health care" cannot cover up for the fact that illegal immigrants would benefit from the House Democrats' health care bill (Aug. 10).

According to the Congressional Budget Office, within 10 years, the non-Medicare population of the U.S. will include 14.1 million illegal immigrants. CBO projects that up to 8.5 million of those 14.1 million will not have health insurance, meaning the Democrats' bill could benefit as many as 5.6 million illegal immigrants.

This is the result of Democrats blocking Republican efforts to require proof of citizenship. Democrats are on record voting to defeat amendments that would preserve the proof of citizenship standard.

FactCheck.org and liberal blogs have criticized this conclusion by pointing to language in the bill stating that illegal immigrants cannot receive health benefits. That language is purely a red herring — technically accurate but functionally meaningless except as a diversion.

No Democratic bill contains verification mechanisms, such as proof of citizenship requirements, to ensure that illegal immigrants would not receive benefits. Democrats in two congressional committees defeated Republican amendments introduced to close this loophole.

Their bill also suggests that if one member of a household were eligible for benefits (for example, a U.S.-born child of an illegal immigrant), theneveryone in that household would be considered eligible. The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that there are almost 2 million families in the USA with illegal immigrant parents and U.S.-born children.

With these significant loopholes — no verification and family eligibility — illegal immigrants would benefit if liberals passed their bill that would lead to a government takeover of our health care system. Next time, perhaps FactCheck.org and those who print its opinions will check with the author of the facts before they go to print. My number is 5.6 million; what's yours?

Fight misinformation

Posted at 12:10 AM/ET, August 20, 2009 in Health care/Insurance - Letters, Letter to the editor
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Recently we were advised by our insurance company that we had to provide birth certificates for our children and our marriage certificate or they would cancel our insurance. WHy in the hell are they allowed to ask for that but not legal status?

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

No Democratic bill contains verification mechanisms, such as proof of citizenship requirements, to ensure that illegal immigrants would not receive benefits. Democrats in two congressional committees defeated Republican amendments introduced to close this loophole.

Their bill also suggests that if one member of a household were eligible for benefits (for example, a U.S.-born child of an illegal immigrant), then everyone in that household would be considered eligible. The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that there are almost 2 million families in the USA with illegal immigrant parents and U.S.-born children.

With these significant loopholes — no verification and family eligibility — illegal immigrants would benefit if liberals passed their bill that would lead to a government takeover of our health care system. Next time, perhaps FactCheck.org and those who print its opinions will check with the author of the facts before they go to print. My number is 5.6 million; what's yours?

Thank you, JohnDoe2, for this valuable information that confirms what we have been saying in the healthcare debate all along.

No amnesty and no benefits for illegal aliens. "No, you can't!"