Obamacare Would Give Preference To Illegals Over American Citizens

Here is another example of how Barack Obama and the Democrats puts the needs of America secondary to their political ambitions with non-Americans. If the socialized health care package currently being created by the Senate Finance Committee goes through, millions of illegals will be given preference over legitimate American citizens when it comes to receiving and having to pay for health care.

From Michelle Malkin at Town Hall:

Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee defeated an amendment that would have prevented illegal aliens from using the so-called "public health insurance option." Every Democrat on the panel voted against the measure. Nevada GOP Rep. Dean Heller's measure would have enforced income, eligibility and immigration verification screening on all Obamacare patients.

And she asks a very good question:

If the congressional majority are truly committed to President Obama's quest to wring cost savings from the system, why won't they adopt the same anti-fraud checks imposed on other government health and welfare beneficiaries? Maybe an intrepid reporter could ask the president at his next Obamacare show to explain.

But given that Obama scripts all of his press conferences and tells reporters what questions they can or cannot ask, don't count on it.

And despite the fact that the Dems claim coverage for illegals is "too politicaly explosive" to happen, reality is bearing out differently:

Obama lit the fuse in February when he signed the massive expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. That law loosened eligibility requirements for legal immigrants and their children by watering down document and evidentiary standards -- making it easy for individuals to use fake Social Security cards to apply for benefits with little to no chance of getting caught. In addition, Obama's S-CHIP expansion revoked Medicaid application time limits that were part of the 1996 welfare reform law. Immigration activists see the provisions as first steps toward universal coverage for illegals. ... [T]he Senate Finance Committee plan creates a new preference for illegal aliens by exempting them from the mandate to buy insurance. That's right. Law-abiding, uninsured Americans would be fined if they didn't submit to the Obamacare prescription. Law-breaking border-crossers, visa-overstayers and deportation fugitives would be spared.

And if that wasn't enough, many illegals are adding insult to injury like illegal alien Jose Lopez:

"I'm just mad," illegal alien Jose Lopez told the Los Angeles Times last year after receiving two taxpayer-subsidized liver transplants while impatiently awaiting approval for state health insurance. Now, multiply that sense of entitlement by 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants. Welcome to the open-borders Obamacare nightmare.

And despite the claims of immigration amnesty advocates that illegals are not already getting free health care, one need only look at the fiscal crisis in California and the fact that they are cutting staff and closing clinics due to the cost of providing free non-emergency care to illegals. Texas paid $1.3 billion for illegals in 2006 and Medicaid for illegals rose 28% in North Carolina.

Socialized health care was supposed to reduce costs for Americans, not increase them.

You can access the complete column on-line here:

Obamacare For Illegal Aliens
Michelle Malkin
TownHall.com
July 22, 2009