Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) became famous when he shouted the infamous “You lie” at President Obama during his speech to a joint session of congress to promote his national health care bill. Representative Wilson was upset because he knows that illegal aliens will be allowed to enroll in any national health care plan. Illegal aliens already receive federally funded health care at clinics such as the one operated by nurse practitioner Tiffany Revels in Benson, North Carolina (1).
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that any group of people residing in the United States could not be excluded from any benefit that everyone else residing in the country receives. The ruling came in the case of Plyler v Doe (1982) concerning the children of illegal immigrants having access to a free public education (2). Representative Wilson is aware of this ruling as are all policy makers and he knows illegal alien advocacy groups will use it as precedence to accomplish health care for anyone crafty enough to break our laws and enter America illegally.
The impact of the Supreme Court ruling can be seen in any hospital emergency room in metropolitan areas within the Border States. Any person that visits the E. R. on a weekend will see a room packed with people, many of whom have been waiting all week, that have a difficult time communicating and completing paperwork because it is in English. These people come on the weekend because they know all other Physician’s offices are closed so they cannot be told to go see their regular doctor.
The real question is how much does health care for illegal aliens cost the American Taxpayer. According to the Center for Immigration Studies there are 6.6 million uninsured illegal aliens in the United States and it cost $4.3 billion to treat these people primarily in emergency rooms. The national healthcare plan currently under consideration in congress would raise the cost of treating illegal aliens to over $30 billion (3).
In Houston, Texas the cost of treating and caring for illegal aliens is between $123 million and $145 million per year. In 2005 the federal government contributed just $100 million for the entire state; leaving local taxpayers to pay the remaining cost (4).
There are costs associated with treating illegal aliens that are not calculated in dollars. In California alone 84 hospitals are closing forever due to government mandates for treating illegal aliens (4). Hospital closures degrade the health care services provided to everyone including natural citizens that live in the area and hundreds of people lose their job with each closure.
If the proposed health care legislation is enacted and health care is provided as a “right” to every U. S. citizen, the court system will ensure it is provided to illegal aliens also. A mandate that forces the United States citizens to pay for the health care of people from all over the world is the true cost of health care.
Carl D. Goodson
www.carldgoodson.com
Clute, TX
(1) www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-immigrant-healthcare_n.htm
(2) http://willnevergiveup.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/illegal-healthcare-N.htm
(3) http://cis.org/IllegalsAndHealthCareHR3200
(4) www.portfolio.com/industry-nres/health-care/2009/11/20/illegal-immigrants-cost-local-hospitals-while-feds-avoid-issue/
(5) Madeleine Peiner Cosman, Ph.D., ESQ. “Illegal Aliens and American Medicine” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, spring 2005
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