Health Care and Immigration

With a universal health care plan knocking on the doors of the White House a question still needs to be answered;

Will Illegal Immigrants receive the same benefits as everyone else?

A tricky and touchy subject seeing as the whole Immigrant issue is also being discussed on Capital Hill. But many people want to know if tax dollars will go to provide people, who aren't supposed to be in this country, medical coverage.

The proposal, Affordable Health Care for America, which made it's way through the House by a vote of 220-215, aims to build on "what works in today's health care system, while repairing the aspects that are broken."

According to ABC News White House Correspondent Jake Tapper, the Health Care bill in regards to illegal immigrants will provide the following:

some illegal immigrants -- those who "meet the substantial presence test" -- would be taxed if they don't obtain health insurance that meets the requirements of the law;

* there are no immigration-related restrictions on who can participate in President Obama’s proposed health insurance exchanges;

* to qualify for any subsidies for health insurance, "individuals must be lawfully present in a state in the United States." That does not preclude those in this country legally who have illegal immigrants in their family from qualifying for the subsidies.

Illegal immigrants are already eligible for emergency care through the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, signed by President Reagan in 1986. This emergency care is often paid for by Emergency Medicaid, private insurance if the patients have it, out-of-pocket, or it's written off as bad debt or charity care by the hospital.

So how would illegal immigrants receive more health care?

Well that only happens if Medicaid is expanded. The Health Care Bill would extend Medicaid coverage up to 133 1/3% of poverty for populations that previously were not covered such as some parents and childless adults.

That expansion could mean more illegal immigrants would become eligible for Emergency Medicaid. Which is not to say that citizens don't pay for those costs anyway through extra hospital fees, but this would clearly be a more direct billing to the taxpayer.

"I don't agree with that at all" said Henry Lederer, a senior biology major at Stony Brook University "Why should we have to pay out of our pockets when they don't have to pay for anything of ours? They don't get taxed, they don't pay for the schools or the streets."

A feeling that some people seem to have especially in these trying times. However, not everyone is opposed to this plan.

"In my profession we are supposed to take care of everyone," said Marisol Acevedo, a 24 year old Bronx nurse "it doesn't matter who they are, it's not our job to decide who to care for."

No matter your view, the Health Care and Immigration issues will continue to battle until Congress comes to an agreement on the best way to

Here are a few charts that will help explain the new Health Plan.

Acquired through Times Magazine

This first chart is what the Democrats in Congress would like to do:




And this one is what the current system is like:



To better understand this, click the link an explanation of the Health Care Reform.