Cristina Jimenez
Immigrants & Health Care Reform
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.
Cristina Jimenez: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 6:11 PM, Jul 28, 2009 in Health Care | Immigration
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Comments
'Republicans are obsessed with targeting immigrants in every major domestic policy debate.'
Especially ironic and hypocritical as that W did precious little to solve anything when he was working for Cheney in the Whitehouse.
Posted by: uk visa | July 29, 2009 09:05 AM
22% is still higher than the percentage of foreign-born people in the general US population, which is 15%.
On the other hand, California has even more immigrants than Texas, legal or illegal, in proportion to population. So Texas really has no excuse for denying health coverage to its population.
Posted by: Alon Levy | July 29, 2009 12:08 PM
Oh please - illegal immigrants ARE COVERED in the current version be touted by the idiot dems! AND WE SHOULD NOT COVER THEM, they've already caused the closure of at least 72 hospitals for none payment, they've stolen the jobs of low income Americans and the identities of Americans in general - now you idiots want us to foot their healthcare too?
This is not a non-partisan site, you are clearly a liberal agenda driven site and you do not represent the ideals of the middle class at all - Americans in general do not like leaches, nor do we believe in income redistribution, soaking the rich, or socialism.
Apparently you folks on the left have forgotten that the appeal of this country is OPPORTUNITY - NOT ENTITLEMENT!
As usual, same old lies and disinformation from the left and Obama-bots. And you have the nerve to point at the Republicans? OH they're no better, but acting as if YOU ARE - you hypocritical trash - is every bit as dishonest as the media's coverage of Obama and the fact that he is a completely empty suited entity foisted on the American people by an adoring media.
Too bad for you, the real middle class has spoken loud and clear - Obama's policies are unAmerican and dangerous.
You're just as big a part of the problem as Congress!
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It surprises me that there are more who are more in favor of doing nothing than there are who are for doing something. When the polls show more in favor of doing something.
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