stephanie
09-10-2009, 11:20 AM
Thursday, September 10, 2009
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief
But President Obama’s statement about illegal aliens and health care reform deserves further scrutiny.
“There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants,” said Obama. “This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”
It is true that both the House and Senate health care bills as they are now drafted would make illegal aliens ineligible for federally funded health care. But President Obama has stated as recently as last month at a press conference in Mexico that he will seek “comprehensive immigration reform” legislation that will put illegal aliens on a “pathway to citizenship.”
Viewed in combination, the president’s health care and immigration reform plans would in fact let people who are illegal immigrants in the United States today receive federally funded health care benefits when the plan comes on line. In his speech last night, the president said that the health insurance exchanges where people would buy federally subsidized insurance would not begin operating until four years from now. If Obama follows through on his agenda as planned, immigration reform will be enacted in the intervening time.
Section 246 of the health care reform bill that has been approved by three House committees is titled, “No Federal Payment for Undocumented Aliens.” It says, “Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.”
The bill passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, defines an “eligible individual” under the bill as “a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence or an alien lawfully present in the United States.”
At an August 10 press conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, President Obama was asked this question: “I wonder if you can tell us what you think the prospects are for immigration reform, for comprehensive immigration reform, which you've said is your goal; and whether you think that the blows you're taking now on health care and that the Democrats are likely to take around the midterm elections will make it hard, if not impossible, to achieve comprehensive immigration reform in this term.”
Obama responded that he was “confident” he would get immigration reform that created a “pathway to citizenship” for illegal aliens.
read the rest..
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/53814
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief
But President Obama’s statement about illegal aliens and health care reform deserves further scrutiny.
“There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants,” said Obama. “This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”
It is true that both the House and Senate health care bills as they are now drafted would make illegal aliens ineligible for federally funded health care. But President Obama has stated as recently as last month at a press conference in Mexico that he will seek “comprehensive immigration reform” legislation that will put illegal aliens on a “pathway to citizenship.”
Viewed in combination, the president’s health care and immigration reform plans would in fact let people who are illegal immigrants in the United States today receive federally funded health care benefits when the plan comes on line. In his speech last night, the president said that the health insurance exchanges where people would buy federally subsidized insurance would not begin operating until four years from now. If Obama follows through on his agenda as planned, immigration reform will be enacted in the intervening time.
Section 246 of the health care reform bill that has been approved by three House committees is titled, “No Federal Payment for Undocumented Aliens.” It says, “Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.”
The bill passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, defines an “eligible individual” under the bill as “a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence or an alien lawfully present in the United States.”
At an August 10 press conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, President Obama was asked this question: “I wonder if you can tell us what you think the prospects are for immigration reform, for comprehensive immigration reform, which you've said is your goal; and whether you think that the blows you're taking now on health care and that the Democrats are likely to take around the midterm elections will make it hard, if not impossible, to achieve comprehensive immigration reform in this term.”
Obama responded that he was “confident” he would get immigration reform that created a “pathway to citizenship” for illegal aliens.
read the rest..
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/53814