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Guest Column – D.A. King:

Reports Refute Obama Claims On Health Care Legislation
By D. A. King

(8/31/09) For the people at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in Washington, it’s fortunate that the White House program for people to report “fishy misinformation” on Obama’s heath care reform has ended.

No doubt the research arm of Congress would have been quickly turned in to the Ministry of Truth and Information.

According to a recent CRS report, “a Health Insurance Exchange would begin operation in 2013 and would offer private plans alongside a public option…HR 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitizens whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently.”

This is counter to the Democrat‘s – and the president’s – repeated claim to the contrary about illegals being excluded from benefits.

In an effort to dispel “rumors” about illegal aliens being included in what has become known as “ObamaCare”, the president had this to say on nation-wide radio two weeks ago: “This has been an example of just pure misinformation out there. None of the bills that have been voted on in Congress, and none of the proposals coming out of the White House propose giving coverage to illegal immigrants – none of them”.

It seems to be a 21st century game of ‘who do you trust?’

Created by an Act of Congress in 1914, the CRS Website explains its mission and history: “With a rigorous adherence to our key values, CRS provides analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan.” CRS includes “more than 450 policy analysts, attorneys, information professionals and experts in a variety of disciplines — from law, economics and foreign affairs to defense and homeland security, public administration, education, health care, immigration, energy, environmental protection, science and technology.”

As “proof” that the House bill would not allow illegal aliens to access benefits, defenders of the proposed health care change cite Section 246 of HR 3200, which reads: “Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.”

Not so fast, say many watch-dog groups, including the Washington-based Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). That well-respected institution has published an easy to understand analysis that includes this inconvenient little fact: Section 246 applies only to “affordability credit” access. It does not apply to anyone enrolling in the public health insurance option created by Section 221.

Simply put: Affordability credits can be used to offset the cost of health care coverage for individuals who enroll in private insurance plans, but there is currently no provision barring illegal aliens from enrolling in the taxpayer-funded public plan.

I am guessing FAIR was reported to the White House numerous times for this one.

Most Americans – including this one – think that we can do better on making affordable and portable health insurance available to more people. But a publicly funded national insurance program that could eventually drive commercial insurance carriers out of business is not change we should believe in.

Last year American authorities caught more than a million people trying to steal the American Dream by breaking into our country. According to the most optimistic estimates from Border Patrol, this figure represents about a quarter of the total illegal “migrants”.

Hiding the expansion of opportunities for future supporters who escape capture to access public benefits may be the Chicago way, but most Americans understand it to be nationally suicidal madness.

The worst case scenario for the president is well underway: The bill didn’t get rushed through unread and uninspected by the August-break and far too many Americans are learning about the contents of his health care legislation.

Unless it is renamed ‘The Dream Lives On Teddy Kennedy Memorial Socialized Medicine Act’, the House bill is officially titled ‘America’s Affordable Health Care Act of 2009’ (H.R. 3200).It can be accessed here.

The Congressional Research Service report is titled “Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200” and can be read here.
Readers can decide for themselves exactly from where the “fishy” smell is coming.

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D.A. King is a nationally recognized authority on illegal immigration and president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society.

Original column HERE

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