Originally posted by: DealMonkey
A couple of interesting points I just came across with regards to HR 3200. Note that the Obama was referring to his own plan and the White House has since posted a 2-1/2 page legislative outline on their web site last night:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/plan/
Anyway, with regards to HR 3200, which will undoubtedly go through changes and amendments during the legislative process, already specifies that the Health Commissioner is instructed by law to have a process in place that establishes immigration before giving subsidies. In fact the CRS report already mentions this:
how will the government make sure that subsidies don't go to illegal immigrants? The mechanism is left entirely up to the Health Commissioner, who is instructed by law that he or must have some process to establish immigration status before giving subsidies. Sec. 241(b)(1), pg 130 : ?the Commissioner shall establish a process whereby, on the basis of information otherwise available, individuals may be deemed to be affordable credit eligible individuals."
That ?shall? is key. Read it for yourself:
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/R40773.pdf
Interestingly,
Reagan, the demi-god of Conservative "values" himself, signed into law an act that allows illegal immigrants to be eligible for emergency care:
Illegal immigrants are already eligible for emergency care through the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, signed by President Reagan in 1986. This emergency care is often paid for by Emergency Medicaid, private insurance if the patients have it, out-of-pocket, or it's written off as bad debt or charity care by the hospital.
http://tinyurl.com/o4yqww
So it seems, conservatives have Reagan to blame for giving free medical care to illegal immigrants. I'm sure I'll hear a chorus of conservatives condemning Reagan for this act, ohhhh, about the same time pigs fly out of Congressman Joe's ass.