This past weekend the US Congress passed a bill to reform the country’s health care system. It must now be merged with legislation in the Senate and pass through an additional vote in that house.
One aspect of the bill rarely mentioned in the past week, but which attracted scrutiny, is health care coverage for legal and “illegal” immigrants. The issue rose to the forefront of public conscience during President Obama’s speech to Congress in September. Joe Wilson, a Congressman from South Carolina, shouted “You lie!” after Obama stated that Democrats did not intend for “illegal” immigrants to receive health care coverage. (Note: Please see my posting here that discusses terminology.)
Concerns over spending finite resources on health care for undocumented persons are understandable, though the numbers are not as large as one might be led to believe from the media. While the country’s undocumented population remains substantial, statistics show that less than one in 11 of the uninsured is an “illegal” immigrant.
A report by the Migration Policy Institute details those immigrants who would and would not be covered. Some Representatives want to withhold health benefits from legal immigrants who have lived in the US for less than five years, affecting more than 1 of the 4.2 million uninsured permanent residents.
Given that these green card holders reside legally in the US and may one day be citizens, it seems more than reasonable that they too should be able to pay for and receive health insurance.
Getting health care right is important. So too, is immigration reform. The uncertainties on coverage would be less complicated if the United States had successfully solved its immigration quandary. The Obama administration considers this a priority, and should health care reform pass successfully, immigration policy is on the docket for 2010.
If you were looking for a reprieve from the town hall meetings and tea parties marked by with emotion and rhetoric, don’t hold your breath. Immigration debates, here we come.
2 Comments So Far»
The immigrae will be a diversion issue. However if an immigrant has a gree n card theyshould be covered. In other countries those who are illegal immigrants can sign-up for coverage based on how long they are illegally in the country until they are either legalized: their employer declaring their presence and stop paying them wages they wuld not pay others in the country or sent back. The US should have settled this issue long ago and no one should try to tanlìgle this into the health bill now. How is that the Two Bush adminisrations never dealt with this? Once again because there was no real immigrant awareness since this illegal labour helped many big corporations needing cheap labour to harvest heir many global products. The Bush admin represent big business interst, from arms, defense, and the big commercialized food conglomerates.
Yet, for this recent administration the Republicans were quick to use th “Hispanic” vot to try and derail this present administration without ever once acknowledging its own interest in Latinos. What hypocrisy!
I know the country is in a deep recession, but I think for the benefit of the country, that illegal immigrants, whatever your use of that word is, should be covered by some health care plan.
I think what happened with HIV is illustritive. Because it was occurring in a population (homosexuals, illegal drug users) that society ignored or considered as bad, the HIV epidemic grew worse than it would have. Drug resistanat TB among prisoners could be another example.
John McCain, early in his presidential run, favored including many immigrants in health care. Now Republicans especially decry spending our hard earned dollars on the illegal and undeserving(?) It is short sighted politics.
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