Debunking myths about health insurance for illegal immigrants

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Debunking myths about health insurance for illegal immigrants

By Olesia Plokhii Mar 13 2009, 10:35 AM

In response to ongoing email chains and rumors inspired from claims by some Republicans and anti-immigration zealots like Lou Dobbs that the new State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Re-authorization Act of 2009 includes benefits for undocumented immigrant children, OhMyGov! decided to conduct an investigation and set the record straight.

Our initial review found that the media monitoring group, Media Matters, had already noted an onslaught of rumor perpetuation on CNN.

On the February 4 broadcast of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, correspondent Lisa Sylvester again uncritically reported Republican claims that legislation extending the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) -- signed that day by President Obama - ‘loosens the identity document requirement so that even people living in the United States illegally might be able to access the program.' Introducing the report, host Lou Dobbs also stated that ‘opponents say it will make it easier for illegal aliens to receive taxpayer-funded health insurance.' During the report, onscreen text read: 'Healthcare For Illegal Aliens,' and 'New law may give healthcare to illegal aliens.' However, neither Sylvester nor Dobbs mentioned that the legislation includes a citizenship verification process in which states would use SCHIP applicants' names and Social Security numbers to verify that they are eligible, as Media Matters for America has noted.

Following up on the report, OhMyGov! interviewed a House spokesperson for additional clarification, seeking to find out if illegal immigrants were in fact given insurance in the SCHIP bill.

"No, it's not true," said Carlos Sanchez, Press Advisor to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Under the current law, undocumented immigrants do not get [health] services."

In fact, to deter undocumented immigrants from trying to get medical care for their illegal children, the new law requires SCHIP to comply with citizenship documentation through the Social Security Administration, just like Medicaid.

"We didn't change that part of the law," Sanchez said about not including coverage for illegal children under the new law. "We just expanded."

The expansion Sanchez speaks of is one of the three main provisions to the original SCHIP law, whose ten-year authorization expired in September 2007, and has since been on life-support after being vetoed twice by George Bush during his last term in office.

The new legislation, signed into law by President Obama February 4, will add 4.1 million uninsured children to the 7 million already covered under SCHIP. It also allows states to choose whether or not they want to treat legal immigrant children and pregnant women who have been in the U.S. less than five years.

"The current five-year wait period can mean the difference between preventing or treating health conditions that can affect a child's prospects for a healthy and productive life - or leaving those conditions undetected and not prevented, costing taxpayers much more in the long run," House speaker Nancy Pelosi's website reads. "Similarly, a pregnant woman cannot wait five years for pre-natal care that will help her have a healthy baby."

SCHIP was created 12 years ago to insure children who didn't qualify for Medicaid but couldn't afford private health insurance.

The funding for the four-and-one-half-year $32.8 billion SCHIP package is ironically extracted from of the pockets of Americans smokers. Thanks to an increase in the federal tobacco tax that is projected to generate $31.3 billion over the next four years, an estimated 45 million smokers will make the ultimate tradeoff: their health for the health of children.

Also Interesting:

[+] OhMyGov! interviews Wonkette's Managing Editor

[+] Gardasil Vaccine Required for Young Women Seeking Immigration to U.S.

[+] Number of illegal immigrants decreasing

[+] Number of illegal immigrants in U.S. may be closer to 20 million

[+] The cost of illegal immigrants

[+] Illegal Immigrants in the prison system

[+] Homeland Security officials hired illegal immigrants for home cleaning

Read More: Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Congress, Immigration, Taxes And Spending

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Mark Montgomery
March 13, 2009 1:21 PM

I think it's ironic that the republicans and neocons who bitch the most about immigrants are the biggest receivers of benefits from the labor that the immigrants do, since they own most of the businesses. I am SO glad that Bush is gone, we FINALLY have an intelligent president and rational executive and legislative branches of government. During the Cheney-Bush debacle I was sure we were going to start a nuclear war, Bush was SUCH a moron. Mark Montgomery boboberg@nyc.rr.com

Citizen
March 13, 2009 1:27 PM

I'm pretty sure they are talking about illegal aliens, not immigrants. Immigrants are LEGAL; please use the correct terms or you are no better than what you accuse Dobbs of being, nothing more than a shill.

24AheadDotCom
March 13, 2009 1:33 PM

Great "investigative" "journalism". Next time, point out that under their lax rules it's fairly easy for illegal aliens to obtain benefits. And, a state like CA could give basically all the benefits to illegal aliens it wanted and then might have to pay for it later out of its own pockets. Considering that many CA legislators already act like agents of the Mexicangovernment, they aren't going to mind too much.

Stephen
March 14, 2009 5:26 PM

Illegal aliens already get free health care at taxpayer expense. Go to any emergency room and you'll see the waiting room swamped with them. They also have anchor babies that qualify them for welfare, housing and food stamps until the kid turns 18, all at taxpayer expense. We all see the pandering and bias by crooked politicians. There are traitors in government that don't give a damn about this country or our citizens. I'm sick of pro amnesty groups calling Americans racists. The term illegal alien does not specify race. They can't justify illegal immigration so they cry racism. This country is being bankrupted by millions of foreign nationals. This massive invasion by millions of illegals is an act of war! Enforce our laws and secure our borders. It's our government's responsibility to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. If you are an illegal alien, GO HOME! If you hire illegal aliens, fire them now and hire legal workers while you can. You will be arrested, prosecuted, fined and jailed. It's not worth it.

Marge Wood
March 15, 2009 9:18 PM

The author neglects to give the data that illegal aliens having "anchor babies" are all being funded by taxpayers under "presumptive medicaid" where the illegal alien monther is given medicaid through the time of her delivery due and the child immediately supported my Medicaid at birth and thereafter. The dirty little secret is that many SCHIP recipients are the anchor babies of illegal aliens. That is why we are going bankrupt and being flooded by third world aliens. Get your head of the sand and do some honest reporting. Millions of illegal aliens have American born children and are raping this country blind as "new Americans". No...they are not the same as responsible immigrants who came here lawfully and are not looking for a handout.

Chris King
March 16, 2009 4:28 PM

You can get a SS# for $250.00.

Anne
June 8, 2009 9:37 AM

I worked the border in El Paso. Mx National women with border crossing cards would come over when pregnant and use the county hospital and get free birthing services and walk away with a US birth certificate for their child. At age five they would bring them across and demand to know where the eleementary schools were for their US citizen. If you go down to the Paso del Norte bridge any Monday thru Friday on School weeks the immigration people have a lane opened for these kids. They say that there may be 60% of the kids living in MX are US citizens. The hospital sent a bill for ten million to congress in the early 80s who knows what the cost is now. No health care without a national ID card. I can't get free health care in MX and Canada why should they be able to come here for free health care.

jnmns
June 21, 2009 7:02 PM

It is going to get worse if we don't speak up and tell our legislators NO HEALTH CARE REFORM THAT INCLUDES ILLEGALS AND NO COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM THAT ALLOWS AMNESTY.

Nothing personal here, but illegals are thieves and their anchor babies can not continue to be allowed citizen status.

Check out NumbersUSA.com for what these criminal aliens are costing us.

James
August 3, 2009 8:03 PM

the majority of uninsured is illegal aliens , and yet republicans re too stupid to too see that if the government were to give them health insurance at a cost, they will prevent more ER patients thus saving taxpayer money.... its ridicule for a rep-dem to say thats a benefit to ilegals.

Dr. E
August 4, 2009 3:17 PM

It is ridiculous that many people who were born in this country think that ALL illegal immigrants are taking free health care from this country at no cost. I have seen them all. I have seen the good the bad and the ugly in our practice. One of the things I would like to bring up is that fact that if we spend less than 25% of what we are paying for in the hospitals to treat these illegal immigrants, we cound provide a service of prevention for these individuals. That would save 75% of our taxpayer money that would otherwise go to the hospitals who provide the care. I have also seen responsible illegal immigrants to petition for a tax id # so that they may claim their taxes at the end of the year. These individuals pay taxes but receive nothing back from the government. They just work and live their normal life without having to suck up all the resources that our government has to offer. When they get sick, they go to a clinic and pay full price out of pocket or they go to a county clinic that provides service at a reduced price. Prevention is key so let's act proactively and put in 25% of the total money we are spending on the illegal immigrants for a prevention program.

jnmns
August 10, 2009 5:08 PM

Dr E I understand what you mean, but it is not in our best interests to support illegals with free health care, even if would help our bottom line. They do incidentally suck up public funded services including $6K per year K-12 to educate their kids, more subsidized buses and trains, more road repairs, section 8 housing with a $100 false ID. They remind me of the movie the Blob. A gelatinous blob moving down the street sucking up natural resources and human lives, and leaving a trail of hazardous droppings.