Health care reform was approved by Congress and signed by the president more than a year ago. Yet the most important and expensive parts of the law won't take effect for another three years. As Congress and the president work out ways to cut billions from current and future federal budgets, it seems an easy target for future cost cutting should be health care benefits for illegal immigrants.
President Barack Obama's vision of health care access for all Americans makes that care available by expanding Medicaid, government-subsidized health care for America's poor. Illegal immigrants are technically barred from Medicaid. Permanent residents must pay into the system for five years before they can buy health insurance through it, so one can safely presume legal immigrants pay their own way to access affordable care.
It's an entirely different story for those here illegally. By some estimates, 60 percent of illegal immigrants already have health care provided by their employers who believe those workers are in the United States legally. But once the government starts to subsidize care to make it more affordable, it will be cheaper for employers to end health care coverage for their employees, and force them onto government subsidies.
Immigration reform advocates want a path to citizenship for the 12 million or-so people living in the U.S. as undocumented workers that they say is tough, fair and practical. They want to enforce borders and stop employers from hiring illegal workers. At the same time, they want the government to offer those people a way to become legal citizens down the road. In so doing, they add costs to future budgets that will quickly become unsustainable.
The Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that seeks lower levels of legal immigration and a "warmer welcome" for legal immigrants, estimates that if or when people in this country illegally are granted legal status, the costs to provide them health insurance under the new health care law will exceed $30 billion per year. That's almost as much money as Congress and the president are trying to save in the current budget. Neither the president nor Congress is considering the fiscal impact of illegal immigration on health care reform as a possible venue for budget cuts. But that is a very good way to prevent future budgets from spiraling even further out of control. Here is how it might work. The most expensive part of health care reform will be the government-supported subsidies designed to make health care affordable for all Americans. Those benefits will first be offered in 2014. The regulations governing who receives those subsidies and who doesn't, have yet to be written.
The Congressional Budget Office told Congress last month health care subsidies will average $4,600 per person per year in the first year of the program (2014) and billow to more than $5,000 on average in the second year. Congress is already cutting some important domestic programs designed to alleviate poverty and improve the nation's environment. Last week's budget compromise included $600 million in cuts to community health centers programs, $414 million in cuts to grants for state and local police departments, and a $1.6 billion reduction in the Environmental Protection Agency budget, almost $1 billion of which would come from grants for clean water used by local groups and Native American tribes.
One way to head off future deep cuts is to keep future increases in check. It seems an easy fix to prevent employers from cutting health insurance for illegal immigrants, whom the vast majority of Americans including legal immigrants, do not want to subsidize with taxpayer funds.
But the path to citizenship will do just the opposite. At times like these, with unemployment still close to 9 percent, and a historic amount of federal debt, we should be comfortable denying health care subsidies to people who violated our nation's laws to come live here. In a world of tough choices, this one should be easy, but apparently it is not.
Bonnie Erbe is a TV host and writes for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail bonnieerbe@CompuServe.com.
Slabside posted at 3:32 pm on Wed, Apr 13, 2011.
Yes Bonnie, the socialist left endeavor to spend as much of honest hard working American's money as they can be it in free healthcare for illegal immigrants or higher taxes. Thank you Obama!
TruthSeeker posted at 5:15 pm on Wed, Apr 13, 2011.
I wish we were more like Australia with their immigration policies. If you can't fully support yourself, you cannot move there. If you are going to file for welfare, you cannot move there. Think of all the illegal aliens who would have to leave our country and stop draining our economy.
Nevr Wong posted at 12:08 am on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT IS TO LATE! Send a message to Obama, " No To Health Care For Illegal Aliens!".
CSalafia posted at 7:58 am on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
"If you can't fully support yourself, you cannot move there."
You can't.
"If you are going to file for welfare, you cannot move there."
You can't.
These are already determining factors in US immigration policy. Also, if you're not educated enough, from the wrong country, have the wrong skills, etc., you can't legally immigrate here.
People who sponsor family members must be able to prove you can support them to 125% of Federal poverty level. If you want to sponsor your children, you better hope they don't get married while you're waiting for a visa because that'll disqualify them, too.
Dale Whiting posted at 8:21 am on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
You will not hear any arguments on this point from me. Until illegal aliens become legal, either as US citizens or legal residents, benefits should be curtailed. But comprehensive immigration reform is still the best way to go. In all likelihood, it is the only way to go. Human nature is not especially amenable to threats of incarceration and deportation when compared to alternative threats of starvation.
Slabside, what would you know abour the "Socialist Left?"
Truthseeker, oh that we were like Australia, an island continent nation. But we are not!
CSalifia, move and not starve or not move and starve, that's the choice.
Cerulean posted at 10:14 am on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
Bonnie,
You make a lot of assumptions and omissions about emigrants and Immigration Reform. I will point to one: you said, “Immigration reform advocates want a path to citizenship for the 12 million or-so people living in the U.S. as undocumented workers . . . .” You add that advocates “want to enforce borders and stop employers from hiring . . . .”
Then you stop and neglect to mention that President Obama would also encourage those who are here illegally to come forward, PAY A FINE and sign up for a path to citizenship. It is easy to draw erroneous conclusions if you ignore some of the possibilities.
My guess is that those 60% or more who are here illegally but who are working for companies that currently provide health insurance, IF they come forward and PAID A FINE to establish citizenship, then most of your dire concerns are for not.
BTW, If you are working and paying taxes, then you are contributing to the Affordable Health Plan regardless of your citizenship status.
Cerulean posted at 10:17 am on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
TruthSeeker,
Australia has a very large moat, making immigration much easier to control.
Brittanicus posted at 11:38 am on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
BECOME A WHISTLE BLOWER
Numerous States have seen the reprehensible illegal immigrant inheritance, that Utah will become a beneficiary of as economic families move there. If other States don’t pass policing laws similar to Arizona, they too will end up with overcrowded schools and hospital like the refuge State of California and Nevada. They too will be paying the penalty of uncontrollable welfare payments to illegal families. What an absolute travesty our immigration laws are? Each administration has refused to seal the borders for years, when by making illegal entry into the United States a felony would have brought most of this issue to an abrupt stop. That Americans are forced by law to educate, assemble free health care and even give individuals a warm cell, where they get free wholesome meals a day in prison. They steal our less educated US American workers jobs, lower our wages and use fraudulent ID and Social security numbers to rob old folk, homeless, of public benefits.
How many of working Americans are blind to Contractors employing illegal aliens for roofing jobs, landscaping and paying them under the proverbial table? How many honest contractors that was in the construction industry 15 years ago, couldn't under bid business as they were using illegal workers, so they had to file bankruptcy or lose their companies. This is a nationwide epidemic that affects all Americans, seeing the financial consequence, so we should take it upon them to notify ICE as whistle blowers. What we need is a illegal immigration nationwide program that undertakes to inform ICE, that illegal immigrants are employed, in a job any US citizen or resident can do?
The pro-sovereignty organization of (FAIR) says the federal government pays out a 113 billion a year, to cater to them. Then billions of dollars more are paid out on the State and county level entitlements, while $40 billion dollars leave the country annually in lost revenue. A. The federal government projection of the 12 million illegal aliens settled here is a fallacy; the population is around 20 plus million. This is all propaganda spread by Liberal progressives for years, which included the open border crazies and ethnocentrism groups. IF you want to alter the path that our America is going, we should become united with the TEA PARTY. Away from the Republican elites, Democratic and Leftist instigators and join the millions of Conservative moderates in the TEA PARTY. They are the only Caucus that will shrink our, bulbous government spending extravaganza and make the federalist relinquish their hold demanding continuous higher taxes. It's a court order from the liberal party to force taxpayers, to maintain the children of illegal immigration education and for the whole family free health care.
Our Medicare goes to the senior adults, but Medicaid is appropriated by the millions of illegal aliens who slipped past the Border Patrol or overstayed expired visas. The TEA PARTY agenda is to enforce National Security and defend America, from enemies Domestic and foreign. We will build the real fence(s) across our frontier, complete with concertina razor wire and the deployment of National Guard troops, with orders to use force if threatened. In the interior of our nation the mandatory operation of E-Verify, with the backing of Secure Communities and other federal and State policing tools Sweeping Nationwide audits to apprehend businesses that snub the law and hire illegal aliens. There will not be any arrest and release for anybody who lives here illegally, and we will deny any foreign aid to any country that will not take back their unauthorized migrants or immigrants. Nobody expected the TEA Party become a National contender for the American people's rights, since the people were frustrated with our gutless leaders. The New caucus intends to claim that the Administration puts a cap on the 14 Trillion dollar deficit and inhibit the spending of money we don't have any more.
AMERICAN PEOPLE WERE LIED TOO AGAIN.
The Congressional Budget Office estimate Last week’s $38 billion budget deal only reduces this year’s deficit by … $352 million?
In other words we cannot trust either party to tell the American people the Truth. IN 2012 we must enforce the Grand party with new injection of TEA PARTY candidates, otherwise the future for our families are at financial risk. NOT FOR ONE MINUTE THINK THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. AS IT COULD BE YOUR JOB NEXT?
samkat posted at 8:27 pm on Thu, Apr 14, 2011.
Dale: comprehensive immigration reform is nothing more than weasel wording a new amnesty plan. If there are not tighter employer sanctions and enforcement, coupled with better border security are the only way we will stop the flood. Look at the 1986 amnesty, the ink was not even dry when the next invasion started.