FACT CHECK: Health coverage for illegal immigrants?

[peejay 327]

FACT CHECK: Health coverage for illegal immigrants

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 10, 6:00 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Rep. Joe Wilson is wrong.

In his speech to Congress Wednesday, President Barack Obama said the changes to health care that he's proposing "would not apply to those who are here illegally." That prompted Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, to shout "You lie!" from his seat in the House chamber. Wilson later apologized for the outburst, but he didn't back down from his claim.

THE FACTS: The House version of the health care bill explicitly prohibits spending any federal money to help illegal immigrants get health care coverage. Illegal immigrants could buy private health insurance, as many do now, and they could also buy into a new government-run insurance plan if Congress creates one. But unlike legal residents, they wouldn't get federal subsidies to help them. The bill's exact language: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully in the United States." Health care legislation in the Senate is also being crafted to exclude illegal immigrants from coverage.

However, Wilson is far from alone in thinking that the prohibition in the House bill doesn't go far enough. For him and other Republicans, the problem is not what's in the bill, it's what the bill leaves out. There's no provision for how the prohibition would be enforced, or any requirement for people to prove they are citizens or legal residents before getting health care benefits. In fact, Democrats on the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees defeated Republican-offered amendments that would have required people to verify their legal status before getting care, with some Democrats saying such requirements would be unnecessarily burdensome for people legally entitled to coverage. Wilson cited the defeat of those two amendments Thursday when he discussed his outburst with reporters.

"I will tell you this, that it was spontaneous. It was when he stated, as he did, about not covering illegal aliens, when I knew we'd had those two amendments," Wilson said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090910/ap_on_...ants_fact_check

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

from FactCheck.org

Summary

President Obama’s prime-time address to Congress and the nation on health care prompted a Republican congressman to shout “you lie!” Did he? Here’s what we’ve found:

• Obama was correct when he said his plan wouldn’t insure illegal immigrants; the House bill expressly forbids giving subsidies to those who are in the country illegally. Conservative critics complain that the bill lacks an enforcement mechanism, but that hardly makes the president a liar.

Analysis

The president addressed a joint session of Congress Sept. 9, and the event was televised nationally.

Illegal Immigrants

Obama said that his proposal would not cover illegal immigrants, a remark that prompted Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina to shout "You lie!"

Obama:

There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false – the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.

The president is correct: The House bill contains a section (Sec. 246) titled "NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS," which states: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

However, conservative critics object to a lack of specific enforcement measures in the bill. They argue that the lack of a specific verification mechanism constitutes a loophole that would allow illegal immigrants to get benefits despite the legal prohibition. Republican Rep. Dean Heller of Nevada proposed an amendment to the bill that would have required the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program to check the citizenship of anyone applying for federal coverage or affordability credits. SAVE is the program used by Medicaid and similar entitlement programs. That amendment was voted down along party lines by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Republicans have a point here: More could be done to enforce the ban. But it’s worth remembering that, as a spokesperson for the American Immigration Lawyers Association told us, attempting to get a health care credit would have legal repercussions. "Making a fraudulent claim to an entitlement program when you’re not actually entitled to it would have serious consequences for any person," the spokesperson told us, "but especially if it’s considered a false claim to citizenship, that would have serious immigration consequences that could ultimately lead to deportation." And Rep. Wilson certainly was out of bounds to call the president’s statement a "lie." He later issued a statement apologizing for his "inappropriate and regrettable" comments.

http://factcheck.org/2009/09/obamas-health-care-speech/

[Pooky 3,849]

from FactCheck.org

Summary

President Obama’s prime-time address to Congress and the nation on health care prompted a Republican congressman to shout “you lie!” Did he? Here’s what we’ve found:

• Obama was correct when he said his plan wouldn’t insure illegal immigrants; the House bill expressly forbids giving subsidies to those who are in the country illegally. Conservative critics complain that the bill lacks an enforcement mechanism, but that hardly makes the president a liar.

Analysis

The president addressed a joint session of Congress Sept. 9, and the event was televised nationally.

Illegal Immigrants

Obama said that his proposal would not cover illegal immigrants, a remark that prompted Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina to shout "You lie!"

Obama: There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false – the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.

The president is correct: The House bill contains a section (Sec. 246) titled "NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS," which states: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."

However, conservative critics object to a lack of specific enforcement measures in the bill. They argue that the lack of a specific verification mechanism constitutes a loophole that would allow illegal immigrants to get benefits despite the legal prohibition. Republican Rep. Dean Heller of Nevada proposed an amendment to the bill that would have required the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program to check the citizenship of anyone applying for federal coverage or affordability credits. SAVE is the program used by Medicaid and similar entitlement programs. That amendment was voted down along party lines by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Republicans have a point here: More could be done to enforce the ban. But it’s worth remembering that, as a spokesperson for the American Immigration Lawyers Association told us, attempting to get a health care credit would have legal repercussions. "Making a fraudulent claim to an entitlement program when you’re not actually entitled to it would have serious consequences for any person," the spokesperson told us, "but especially if it’s considered a false claim to citizenship, that would have serious immigration consequences that could ultimately lead to deportation." And Rep. Wilson certainly was out of bounds to call the president’s statement a "lie." He later issued a statement apologizing for his "inappropriate and regrettable" comments.

Surely, isn't it more cost-effective to carry out an evaluation of someone's entitlement before a claim enters the process, than to allow it to be entered, fail verification, generate more paperwork, involve law enforcement and legal counsel (the BIG cost nut) and end up in court?

But no, the sensible route was voted down along party lines in committee. Now why might that be?

[peejay 327]

You can slice it and dice it anyway you want to Batman, but no matter what Obama says is prohibited he has made sure there are no provisions to prevent illegal aliens from getting benefits. Such a huge omission is disingenuous at best and comes up being a pubic hair away from being a lie that illegal aliens won't be able to be covered.

[pedroh 21]

glad to see you around peejay

[peejay 327]

glad to see you around peejay

My wife exiled me to Siberia at the beginning of summer to visit her relatives there. After we returned, believe it or not my work and home life has been really busy since then. Not much time to play on the internet.

However, they let me out of my cage today and I've posted my azz off. No telling when I'll get locked up again.

[pedroh 21]

hey, in Siberia, VJ posts on you..

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

hey, in Siberia, VJ posts on you..

After all this is what you want.......................RIGHT?

Wanna Check?

[pedroh 21]

yes Marc.. I want free Edgar Winter music for life..

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

yes Marc.. I want free Edgar Winter music for life..

NO no my lil dependant one! Its a free ride yo after right? I think yo favorite color is green......right?

[Heracles 417]

You can slice it and dice it anyway you want to Batman, but no matter what Obama says is prohibited he has made sure there are no provisions to prevent illegal aliens from getting benefits. Such a huge omission is disingenuous at best and comes up being a pubic hair away from being a lie that illegal aliens won't be able to be covered.

Either way they are being paid for. Under the current system, the hospitals must treat them anyway; which means we end up paying for it either way.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

The government has laws designed to keep illegals out.

They don't enforce them.

The government has laws to prevent illegals from working.

They don't enforce them.

Activist courts ruled that children of illegals born in the US are born American, despite the intent of the framers to prevent such an interpretation.

Activist courts force school districts to educate illegals and to treat their illness and injuries at no cost.

Illegals are represented pro bono in court cases and awarded damages and property of Americans attempting to protect their homes, ranches and farms.

Several states grant illegal students in state college tuition.

The next census will count illegals as American citizens.

The Congress keeps trying, despite the hew and cry against it, to grant amnesty to illegals.

Like everything else, illegals will be covered by national health care, if it passes. That is just part of the government's pattern of behavior toward them.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Sofiyya

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Dont matter! were all gonna be at the mercy of who says can be treated based on age anyway.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

FACT CHECK: Health coverage for illegal immigrants

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 10, 6:00 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Rep. Joe Wilson is wrong.

In his speech to Congress Wednesday, President Barack Obama said the changes to health care that he's proposing "would not apply to those who are here illegally." That prompted Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, to shout "You lie!" from his seat in the House chamber. Wilson later apologized for the outburst, but he didn't back down from his claim.

THE FACTS: The House version of the health care bill explicitly prohibits spending any federal money to help illegal immigrants get health care coverage. Illegal immigrants could buy private health insurance, as many do now, and they could also buy into a new government-run insurance plan if Congress creates one. But unlike legal residents, they wouldn't get federal subsidies to help them. The bill's exact language: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully in the United States." Health care legislation in the Senate is also being crafted to exclude illegal immigrants from coverage.

However, Wilson is far from alone in thinking that the prohibition in the House bill doesn't go far enough. For him and other Republicans, the problem is not what's in the bill, it's what the bill leaves out. There's no provision for how the prohibition would be enforced, or any requirement for people to prove they are citizens or legal residents before getting health care benefits. In fact, Democrats on the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees defeated Republican-offered amendments that would have required people to verify their legal status before getting care, with some Democrats saying such requirements would be unnecessarily burdensome for people legally entitled to coverage. Wilson cited the defeat of those two amendments Thursday when he discussed his outburst with reporters.

"I will tell you this, that it was spontaneous. It was when he stated, as he did, about not covering illegal aliens, when I knew we'd had those two amendments," Wilson said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090910/ap_on_...ants_fact_check

Exactly. Illegals will slip through the cracks. OOPS!

Let's be honest.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Congressional Research Service: Illegal Aliens Can Receive Benefits Under House Health Care Bill By: PR Newswire | 26 Aug 2009 | 01:24 PM ET

WASHINGTON, Aug 26, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Tuesday, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the "research arm" for the United States Congress, issued a report validating an analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), that illegal aliens would be able to receive benefits under the House health care reform bill, America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200).

The report, Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, states definitively, "H.R.

3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitizens - whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently - participating in the Exchange." H.R. 3200 establishes a Health Insurance Exchange which would provide individuals and small businesses with access to health care plans, including the "public option" to be managed by the government.

CRS also confirms FAIR's assessment that the House bill does not include a mechanism to prevent illegal aliens from receiving "affordability credits" that would subsidize the purchase of private health insurance. CRS specifically noted the absence "of a provision in the bill specifying the verification procedure." Because the language is ambiguous, all CRS could reasonably conclude is that any eligibility determination would be the responsibility of the Health Choices Commissioner.

The CRS analysis comes after weeks of denials by Members of Congress that illegal aliens could receive benefits under the House bill. These denials were echoed by countless media and health care "experts" who dismissed public concerns as myths, or as politically orchestrated attacks.

"Case closed. Illegal aliens will be eligible to participate in the health care program offered by the House bill unless Congress acts to amend the bill," stated Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "The loopholes and omissions in the House bill are not there by accident," continued Stein. "These loopholes were intended to extend benefits to illegal aliens while allowing Members of Congress to deny those facts to the American people." The House Ways & Means Committee had the opportunity to include language that would have barred illegal aliens from enrolling in the proposed public option or receiving the affordability credits, but chose not to. An amendment offered by Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) would have applied the same eligibility verification procedures for coverage under H.R. 3200 that have been used for years to prove eligibility for Medicaid. That amendment was rejected by a party-line vote.

Based on its own findings and those of CRS, FAIR is calling on Congress to: -- Adopt clear language that makes illegal aliens (and nonimmigrants) ineligible for enrollment in publicly funded or subsidized health insurance programs.

-- Require electronic eligibility verification for any health care reform proposal through the existing Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system.

-- Maintain a five-year eligibility waiting period for legal immigrants to ensure that individuals don't come to the U.S. and immediately tap the system.

"For the past month, irate citizens, concerned that their tax dollars will be used to fund health care for illegal aliens, have been unfairly portrayed as uninformed rabble by their elected representatives and a host of media organizations," said Stein. "It is time for the politicians to close the loopholes, and for the media establishment to acknowledge that they got it wrong." About FAIR Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

Link: http://www.cnbc.com/id/32569230/