Tuesday, January 29, 2013

OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Immigration reform brings debate on ACA benefits - The Hill's Healthwatch

OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Immigration reform brings debate on ACA benefits - The Hill's Healthwatch


OBAMACARE IS MORE WELFARE FOR ILLEGALS!

Yes, Obama lied! Again….


 

Immigration reform could add millions under Obama health law

By Elise Viebeck - 01/26/13 06:00 AM ET



Comprehensive immigration reform could make millions of people suddenly eligible for assistance under President Obama's healthcare law, assuming a final deal paves the way for undocumented immigrants to receive papers.

Illegal aliens are now prohibited from purchasing coverage through the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges, which will launch next year.

They are also ineligible for Medicaid under most circumstances, making the law's expansion of the program fruitless for people without documents.

Even young illegal immigrants with "deferred action" status, known as "DREAMers," cannot access the law's benefits.

But the picture could change completely if Hispanic lawmakers get their wish — an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy that includes a path to legalization.

"We have to figure out a way in which [undocumented immigrants] incorporate themselves into the larger workforce, and into our society in general, and not be a burden," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), a leader in the immigration debate.

"Do we want them to go to the exchanges? Absolutely we do — if and when they don't have healthcare through their employer," he said.

Immigration is expected to be a major issue for President Obama's second term, and advocates like Gutierrez are pushing hard to make reform a reality.

Recent polls show the public is increasingly on board. According to a CNN/ORC poll from Jan. 21, 53 percent want a path to legalization for illegal immigrants — a major shift from 2011, when most wanted Washington focused on deportations.

The consequences for Obama's signature healthcare law, as well as healthcare providers, could be huge.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the legalization of undocumented people would benefit hospitals now burdened by uncompensated care.

If nothing changes, undocumented immigrants will be a major share of the uninsured, second only to those who are eligible but do not apply for coverage under the healthcare law in 2014, according to the Urban Institute.

Federal reimbursement for uncompensated care was also slashed under the Affordable Care Act, raising the stakes for hospitals that serve low-income populations.

"I think hospitals and healthcare providers would see it as a huge plus," Grijalva said, referring to an immigration policy that legalizes undocumented people and makes them eligible for federal benefits.

"The bottom line is, these people would be contributing toward their own healthcare and not being dependent. They'd be paying taxes. I'd see that as a plus rather than a negative," he said.

The idea of providing "ObamaCare" benefits to immigrants has long inflamed partisan rancor.

Most famously, it prompted Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) to shout "You lie!" during Obama's 2009 healthcare address on the House floor, when the president pledged that healthcare reform would not cover undocumented aliens.

Looking ahead, it is possible that immigration changes could upend the law's cost picture, which is already of major concern to critics.

Sarah Hale, director of healthcare policy at the American Action Forum, cautioned that it is far too early to predict whether a new immigration policy would raise the health law's tab.

"There are three or four moving parts that could push the cost one way or the other, like state choices on the Medicaid expansion," she said.

"But if there are a huge swath of people who are newly eligible for an insurance subsidy or for Medicaid, then naturally that is going to impact the budget number."

Grijalva argued that the status quo is unsustainable, no matter what the immigration debate yields.

Most undocumented workers seek care in emergency rooms or storefront clinics, which may not accept credit or insurance, he said.

"All of that, as public health officials say, does not contribute to the overall quality of health in any community," Grijalva said. "And besides, most often, somebody else is paying for it."


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ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE, IN THE FACE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND 40 MILLION ILLEGALS WHOSE VOTES HE WAS COURTING, OBAMA LIED THAT OBAMACARE DID NOT INCLUDE ILLEGALS…. HE AND LA RAZA PELOSI RIGGED IT TO IT WOULD AND THEY COULD STILL DENY IT!

OBAMA – THE MOUTHPIECE FOR LA RAZA SUPREMACY!

EXPANDING THE LA RAZA WELFARE STATE IN OUR BORDERS!

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These Obamacare disbursements seem to contradict a claim President Obama famously made in a nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9, 2009.

“The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally,” Obama said then.

When Obama said these words, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted out from the House floor: "You lie!" After the speech, Wilson called the White House and apologized for his remark and issued a statement saying he was sorry for it and President Obama accepted his apology. However, five days later, led by then-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.), the House voted 240-179 to rebuke Wilson for his outburst on the House floor.

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Joe Wilson Was Right About ObamaCare for Illegal Immigrants


August 11, 2011 By Karl Filippini Leave a Comment

On September 9, 2009, President Obama addressed Congress as part of his push for a health care “reform” law. One of the things the President said that night was that “the reforms I am proposing would not apply to those here illegally.” In response, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), shouted out “You lie!” Wilson later apologized for the outburst, and the House voted to rebuke him.

However, now that HHS has begun disbursing grants for community health centers for migrant workers, it’s clear to see that President Obama’s promise isn’t bearing up. Instead, as statements from HHS (reported by CNS news) make clear, these clinics “won’t ask about or collect data on citizenship or other matters not related to the treatment needs of the patients seeking health services at the center.” These clinics are targeted at a migrant workforce with a significant number of illegal aliens.

Congress should think hard about what the President’s promises are worth the next time an immigration bill comes up for debate, because as the administration’s record on “prosecutorial discretion” has made clear, what the President says and what federal agencies do are not always the same.

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OBAMAcare – one more of the hispandering president’s handouts to his LA RAZA PARTY BASE!

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CNN INTERVIEW OF LYING LA RAZA PELOSI ON HEALTHCARE TO ILLEGALS

 

 “If you’re in this country illegally, should you be able to get health care?” CNN’s John King asked Mrs. Pelosi.
“No, illegal immigrants are not covered by this plan,” she replied.
Mrs. Pelosi’s remarks are downright deceptive, according to Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who points out that the proposed health care legislation “ contains gaping loopholes that will allow illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded benefits .”
These loopholes, Rep. Smith maintains, are “no accident.” He maintains that the proposed legislation, despite months of debate, still contains no mechanism for verifying if applicants are legal residents or not.


WHY MEXICO INVADED CALIFORNIA: THE LOOTING OF AN AMERICAN STATE BY INVITATION of the DEMOCRAT PARTY


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FROM JUDICIAL WATCH.org

Mexico Promotes Free U.S. Healthcare For Illegal Immigrants

 

Time to wake up people! With unemployment at 12% and the state going broke, our tax dollars are going to pay for healthcare for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. To the tune of over a billion dollars a year!


Mexico's government operates programs in about a dozen American cities that refers its nationals--living in the U.S. illegally--to publicly funded health centers where they can get free medical care without being turned over to immigration authorities.

The program is called Ventanillas de Salud (Health Windows) in Spanish and its mission is to help illegal immigrants find U.S. hospitals, clinics and other government programs where they can get free services without being deported for violating federal immigration laws.

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego and Indiana are among the cities where Mexican consulates operate the health referral system which annually costs U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. In Los Angeles County alone, illegal immigrants cost taxpayers nearly $440 million in health services annually and a whopping $1.1 billion statewide.

The Mexican consul in Los Angeles proudly announced that nearly 300,000 Mexicans in the area have benefited from his government's health referral program, which he says actually saves the county money by encouraging immigrants to seek preventive care rather than waiting for more expensive emergency treatment.

The Southern California operation promises to assess "consulate clients" for eligibility to government-funded health insurance and other primary care services and offers free legal assistance to those who are denied coverage. Its goal is to improve access to health services for immigrants of Mexican origin by formalizing a health education, medical home referral and insurance enrollment program.

In Chicago, the Mexican consul's Spanish-language web site heavily promotes the Illinois Department of Health's low-cost prescription medicine program for illegal aliens and various free medical services throughout the state. It encourages all Mexicans in the area to pursue the valuable U.S. government-financed services for their entire family.

The Indiana-based program boasts that it serves thousands of "Mexican nationals" living in that state as well as Ohio, Kentucky and southern Illinois. Mexican officials claim that its highly successful pro-health program sends out a clear message to other Mexican consulates throughout the country and the world.

Although these programs facilitate people to remain in the country illegally, Mexico is working hard to expand them to all 47 U.S. consulates to better serve its nationals. In the meantime, U.S. taxpayers will keep picking up the exorbitant tab of medically treating the millions who live in the country illegally.


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Calif. Hospitals Spend $1.25 Bil On Illegal Immigrants

July 05, 2011

While the Obama Administration halts deportations to work on its secret amnesty plan, hospitals across the U.S. are getting stuck with the exorbitant tab of medically treating illegal immigrants and some are finally demanding compensation from the federal government.The group that represents most of the nation’s hospitals and medical providers recently urged President Obama to work with Congress to reimburse them for the monstrous cost of treating illegal immigrants. Federal law requires facilities to “treat and stabilize individuals” regardless of their immigration status, but federal support for the services remains “virtually nonexistent,” according to a letter submitted by the American Hospital Association to the president.This week officials in California, the state with the largest concentration of illegal immigrants, joined the call for federal compensation after revealing that hospitals there spend about $1.25 billion annually to care for illegal aliens. The figure skyrocketed from $1.05 billion in 2007, according to California Hospital Association figures quoted in a local news report.The problem will only get worst, according to officials, who say the $1.25 billion for 2010 could actually be higher. They complain that federal law forces them to treat patients in emergency rooms regardless of immigration status yet they get stuck with the financial burden. This has forced many hospitals to curtail services or close beds and could ultimately compromise healthcare. Nationwide, U.S. taxpayers spend tens of billions of dollars annually to provide free medical care for illegal immigrants with states that border Mexico taking the biggest hit. Adding to the problem is the fact that Mexico, the country that provides the largest amount of illegal immigrants in the U.S., has long promoted America’s generous public health centers. It even operates a Spanish-language program (Ventanillas de Salud, Health Windows) in about a dozen U.S. cities that refers its nationals—living in the country illegally—to publicly funded health centers where they can get free medical care without being turned over to immigration authorities.

Read more about illegal immigration

 

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Lloyd Billingsley
The DREAM and the Nightmare
In California, students are better off being illegal immigrants than legal.
30 March 2012

Last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed the California DREAM Act, which makes students in the country illegally eligible for grants and waivers to attend one of the state’s public colleges or universities. The students must have attended school in the state for three years, “affirm that they are in the process of applying to legalize their immigration status,” and show both financial need and academic achievement. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, the Los Angeles Democrat who authored the DREAM Act, hails the legislation as a victory for those “in the country through no fault of their own.” Opponents such as Republican assemblyman Tim Donnelly—a first-term legislator not given to understatement—called Cedillo’s legislation the “California Nightmare Act,” said it is “morally wrong,” and would create “a new entitlement that is going to cause tens of thousands of people to come here illegally from all over the world.”

 

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"I think politicians will be under a lot of pressure not to create these sorts of inequities," said Jennifer Ng'andu, a health policy expert with the National Council of La Raza, one of the major Latino advocacy groups. Her group supports the health care law and is urging every state to accept the Medicaid expansion.

 

Immigration fallout from saying no to 'Obamacare'

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR | Associated Press – 20 hrs ago

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Governors who reject health insurance for the poor under the federal health care overhaul could wind up in a politically awkward position on immigration: A quirk in the law means some U.S. citizens would be forced to go without coverage, while legal immigrants residing in the same state could still get it.

It's an unintended consequence of how last year's Supreme Court decision changed the Medicaid provisions of President Barack Obama's health care law. The overhaul expanded the federal-state program for low-income and disabled people. The Supreme Court made the Medicaid expansion optional for states, which complicated things.

Arizona officials called attention to the problem last week, when Republican Gov. Jan Brewer opted to accept the Medicaid expansion.

Brewer had been a leading opponent of the overhaul, and her decision got widespread attention. State budget documents cited the immigration glitch as one of her reasons.

"If Arizona does not expand, for poor Arizonans below (the federal poverty line), only legal immigrants, but not citizens, would be eligible for subsidies," the documents said.

That's because the immigrants would be eligible for government-subsidized private insurance, while low-income citizens would not. The Obama administration confirmed Arizona's interpretation.

The gist of what Brewer was saying is that "by rejecting the expansion, you are essentially rewarding the immigrant population at the expense of full citizens," said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, a nonpartisan group that represents the states in Washington.

"The political optics of that could be crushing," he added.

It could take some explaining for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, steadfastly opposed to what foes dismiss as "Obamacare," and for Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is reassessing his position. Both states have large numbers of uninsured citizens and legal immigrants.

"I think politicians will be under a lot of pressure not to create these sorts of inequities," said Jennifer Ng'andu, a health policy expert with the National Council of La Raza, one of the major Latino advocacy groups. Her group supports the health care law and is urging every state to accept the Medicaid expansion.

The quirk in the Affordable Care Act was not planned. It came about on the twisting route that laws follow from Congress to the president's desk and to the courts.

To be sure, no one is talking about the government buying health insurance for illegal immigrants. That's not allowed under Medicaid or Obama's law. Instead, the issue here is between U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, those who are lawfully present in the country.

Here's the convoluted background:

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, the health care law will offer health insurance to millions of people now uninsured. Middle-class uninsured people will be able to get taxpayer-subsidized private policies through new markets called exchanges. Low-income uninsured people will be steered to Medicaid, a government program jointly funded by Washington and the states.

Under previous laws, legal immigrants have to wait five years to qualify for Medicaid. Ng'andu said Hispanic advocacy groups wanted to lift that restriction during the 2009 congressional health care debate, but couldn't get political support. The Medicaid waiting period remained in place, but a compromise was reached that would allow low-income legal immigrants to get subsidized private coverage in the new health insurance exchanges.

The health care law expanded Medicaid to cover millions of low-income adults who are ineligible under current rules. As written, the law assumed that every state would accept the Medicaid expansion, with Washington paying for most of it. So the law stipulated that people below the federal poverty line — $11, 170 for a single person, $23,050 for a family of four— could not get subsidies for private coverage in the exchanges. Medicaid was to be their only option.

Legal immigrants here for less than five years remained an exception.

Along came the Supreme Court. It upheld Obama's law, but ruled that states were free to accept or reject the Medicaid expansion. The court did not touch the issue of coverage for legal immigrants in the health insurance exchanges. That provision remained in place.

And that's how the immigration glitch came to be. Poor people in a state that turns down Obama's Medicaid expansion can only get government subsidized coverage if they are legal immigrants. U.S. citizens are out of luck.

So far 11 states have said they're not interested in the Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, while 17 states and Washington, DC, say they are taking it. The rest are weighing their options. The immigration glitch is now one of those considerations.

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THE REALITY OF MEXICO’S OCCUPATION and EVER EXPANDING WELFARE STATE IN AMERICA:

 

WILL MEXICO BANKRUPT AMERICA LIKE IT HAS MEXIFORNIA?


 

BOOK: Mexifornia: SHATTERING OF AN AMERICAN DREAM (illegals call it their DREAM ACT)

 


 

 

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