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July 21, 2009 6:40 PM

Obama: No Health Care For Illegal Immigrants

Posted by Brian Montopoli
(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari )
Asked by CBS News' Katie Couric in an exclusive interview whether illegal immigrants should be covered under a new health care plan, President Obama responded simply, "no." But he said there may need to be an exception to that policy for children.

"First of all, I'd like to create a situation where we're dealing with illegal immigration, so that we don't have illegal immigrants," he said. "And we've got legal residents or citizens who are eligible for the plan. And I want a comprehensive immigration plan that creates a pathway to achieve that."

"The one exception that I think has to be discussed is how are we treating children," he continued. "Partly because if you've got children who may be here illegally but are still in playgrounds or at schools, and potentially are passing on illnesses and communicable diseases, that aren't getting vaccinated, that I think is a situation where you may have to make an exception."

More from the interview:

Obama: "Economists Are Often Wrong"

On Health Care Reform, Blue Dog Democrats and Illegal Immigrants


Watch CBS Videos Online
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Health Care ,
Illegal Immigrants ,
Barack Obama ,
Katie Couric
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Add a Comment See all 78 Comments
by taylor2128 November 1, 2009 5:59 PM EST
Did everyone forget that we are talking about people not dogs? Just because they weren't born here they are less then human therefore they don't get good medical care, they get a boot back to where they came from? What makes us so much better? I know quite a few illiegal aliens, all they want to do is be able to support their famlies,the same thing I do. They would pay taxes if they could, but because it is so hard to become an American they can't. I know a few who work under fales name paying taxes. All they come here to do is work, to feed and cloth their children, no more or less then the rest of us do. Maybe a better idea would be to make becomming an American better.
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by andiamo1598 November 2, 2009 4:27 PM EST
I did not forget. Did you? If you want to be so proactive then why don't you help these people become legal residents? Do something good for America instead of glorifying how wonderful the illegals are that you know because they want to feed and educate their children like you do. Why don't you sponsor several families and pay for their healthcare, food, housing and education so that I don't have to. Then, maybe I can afford my own home, food, healthcare and education. A lot of us simply don't have it to give. Since you do, I think YOU should give it to them.
by mossrun October 18, 2009 2:44 PM EDT
Joe's right Obama lied. Dems want illegals to receive health benefits & block GOP limits. Why? Because, when they pass blanket amnesty they expect to add another 10 million to their roles

Obama's own words above. "First of all, I'd like to create a situation where we're dealing with illegal immigration, so that we don't have illegal immigrants. And we've got legal residents or citizens who are eligible for the plan. And I want a comprehensive immigration plan that creates a pathway to achieve that."
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by firthr September 20, 2009 3:54 PM EDT
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
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by ShutUpDummy September 17, 2009 12:36 PM EDT
HEY OBAMA......how about providing a bus ticket to every single illegal alien, back to Mexico? Then, we wouldn't have to worry about them giving us something. What d'ya think 'bout that, dumbo?
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by suyashkhot26 September 16, 2009 11:13 PM EDT
I paid my dues to get US citizenship the proper and legal way. I hate to see illegal immigrants getting the same benefits as a legal citizen.
I strongly oppose Obama's Heath Plan if there aren't stringent mechanisms in place to make sure illegals don't get in on it.
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by Bunch1243 September 10, 2009 10:49 PM EDT
my concern is that whatever is not specifically excluded will eventually be included. and sections of this bill (hr3200) only exclude in one area while actually requiring illegal aliens to carry insurance in other areas. and if they can't afford to carry insurance, won't we eventually aide them on humanitarian reasons?? if i were writing the law, illegal aliens would not be required to have insurance and when they showed up at the emergency room, we would treat them and send them back to their homeland. case closed.
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by grenzu September 10, 2009 11:18 AM EDT
NO!!! free care to illegal immigrants, DONE!!!
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by ogman September 10, 2009 5:34 AM EDT
Next up on the Obama agenda, he will snap his fingers and turn 12 million criminals into law abiding citizens. Oh, and Wilson is right, Obama is lying about healthcare/illegals. Congress will not allow illegals to be asked about immigration status, so they WILL get healthcare on the taxpayer dime.
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by alainolav September 4, 2009 12:02 AM EDT
Please be humane. Children are not to be blame. People should really see how expensive insurance companies have made our health care.
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by andiamo1598 November 2, 2009 4:40 PM EST
Humane? I am struggling to put food in my own mouth. I don't have healthcare and I have worked all my life. Don't you get it? If their kids are grandfathered into the plan then WE will have to pay for it. Maybe you could just pledge 50% of your income to the anchor babies because it is not their fault? Besides, who do you think has caused our healthcare to become so expensive? Let's see...the one's who don't pay.
by Texas-Long-Horn August 30, 2009 1:37 PM EDT
So we should push for proof of citizenship enforcement at the voting booths in 2010. This can be done at the state and local level. The law is already in place. We just have to push for enforcement. That's the good news, because we can affect the outcome in that arena. Proof of citizenship enforcement at the Federal level will not succeed until after Conservatives outnumber Liberals in both Houses. In fact, we would probably need a veto-proof 2/3 majority to make this simple idea of "enforcing the law" a reality. So it all comes down to stopping the illegal vote in 2010. If we kill the chicken in 2010, then there won't be any eggs in 2012. No eggs in 2012 means no Obama in 2012, and we?ll get our country back. But time is of the essense, because there is a tipping point here. Once the voting receivers of ?free stuff? outnumber the voting taxpaying producers of ?free stuff?, then there is no way to get our country back. In fact it may already be too late.

This will not be easy. The Liberals know that maintaining the illegal?s vote is the key to their power. They deny that it exists. But they know that without it, they would never have won in 2008. They will fight this with everything that they have. If you think that this is so simple that the Liberals couldn?t possibly stop the states from enforcing the law that they refuse to enforce, think again. Last fall, then Senator Obama?s presidential campaign asked the Justice Department to decide whether a state which implemented changes to its voting laws had to be approved by the Federal DOJ. A ruling was issued that said that the Feds had the right to review and approve any changes made by a state that wanted to implement voter citizenship verification. Now that Obama won and the Liberals won both houses, they will try to use this to stop any voter citizenship verification from taking place.

In May of 2009, Georgia became the second state (behind Arizona) to pass a law requiring that all residents prove their citizenship before they can register to vote. I can?t believe I just said that. It?s unbelievable that these laws don?t already exist, but remember that the Federal law that says you have to be a citizen to vote says nothing about having to prove it. That?s left up to the states. If you think that the Feds can?t do anything quickly, think again. One month after Georgia signed this into law, the Federal Justice Department issued a ruling that barred the state of Georgia from continuing the citizenship verification. The DOJ said that Georgia?s system ?does not produce accurate and reliable information?. Loretta King, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department?s Civil Rights Division, said in a letter to the state that the citizenship verification was a ?substantial burden? for ?minority voters?. That card will be played in every hand that?s dealt.

Some proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration bills have surfaced recently in several other states (Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, Washington, Virginia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah). So far, the Liberals have been able to obstruct these efforts. The Liberals have often argued that any cost or inconvenience to a voter was tantamount to a poll tax, and therefore illegal. So they do enforce some laws. Our only hope to reclaiming this country is for each state to quickly invoke it?s own voter citizenship verification law where all costs and all inconvenience is picked up by the state. The accuracy and reliability of the system has to be impecable and beyond reproach so that the Liberals will have no legal basis to shoot it down. If twelve year olds could vote, the Liberals would come up with a height discrimination argument to stop all bartenders from asking for proof of age. They defy belief. But they are as real as a heart attack.
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by Texas-Long-Horn August 30, 2009 1:36 PM EDT
We will not be successful in convincing Democrats to stop giving away the store. They already know that it?s crazy and illogical. They don?t care. The root cause of the problem is this. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS VOTE. (They are not allowed to vote. But they do vote.) And they have a huge impact on our Presidential and Congressional Elections.

Federal law says that you have to be a citizen at least 18 years old in order to vote. But again, the law doesn?t specifiy any means of having to prove it. So it's left up to the states to enforce this law. Here again, the result of not enforcing a law is pretty much the same as no law. Democratic leadership wants to give out as many entitlements to as many people as possible. Why? They say it?s because of their compassion. Not so much. It?s to increase their voter base. They are vote farmers planting their crops. When attempts have been made to enforce proof of citizenship during elections, the Democrats have said that it would be too much of a hardship on people like Grandma and Grandpa to have to prove their citizenship. The Democrats have estimated the cost to individuals to have to produce proper ID at the voting booth at $20 per person. They say this is not fair. But as much as they like to spend, they didn?t consider having the Federal Government pick up the $20 tab. So enforcement is left up to state and local jurisdictions. Interestingly though, many of these same Democratic Congressmen an Senators didn't care about Grandma and Grandpa much when they started requiring Photo IDs at their Town Hall meetings last month!

If twelve year olds could vote, the Democrats would be pushing a bill to give away free Nintendos and Jonas Brothers Tickets. Again... not rocket science. It's a chicken-and-the-egg thing. Take away the illegals' ability to vote, and the Democrats will have no reason to give them entitlements. The same compassionate Democrats who didn't care about Grandma's $20 would drop the illegals like a rock. With no entitlements, they will self-deport.
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by Texas-Long-Horn August 30, 2009 1:33 PM EDT
I was talking to an older gentleman yesterday (8/29/09) at a Town Hall meeting with Congressman Pete Olson. He had an interesting question. He prefaced his question with the statement that the Doctors and Hospitals that are providing health care to illegal immigrants are currently being paid. They are not taking the losses that we conservatives assume are being passed on to the consumer (i.e. you and me). They are being reimbursed 100%? by the Federal Government (i.e. you and me)? through Medicare.

The Congressman said that this was not possible, unless it was an isolated case of Medicare fraud. In the Congressman?s defense, the fact is that the law says that you have to be a citizen (or a legal permanent resident for 5 years) to be eligible to legally receive Medicare. But the law doesn?t say you have to prove it. The result of not enforcing a law is pretty much the same as no law. It?s not rocket science.

So I did some surfing and found out that this old guy was right. And this is a well-kept secret, because you won?t find this as a talking point on any websites, or at least I didn?t. But here's the proof. It?s a link to the page on the AMA website telling the doctors and hospitals how to get paid for treating illegals. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/legal-topics/medical-staff-topics/funding-undocumented-aliens.shtml.

The AMA site says that doctors and hospitals no longer need to inquire into a patient?s citizenship status in order to get paid. The AMA says that all claims for reimbursement on illegals are processed by TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC on this link https://www.trailblazerhealth.com/Section_1011/Default.aspx?UrlRID=708. So ?Trailblazer? has been set up as the conduit to hide these reimbursements with an end run around the Traditional Medicare system. Section 1011 of the ?Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003? is titled ?Federal Reimbursement of Emergency Health Services Furnished to Undocumented Aliens.? Section 1011 was funded to provide reimbursements of $250 million a year for fiscal years 2005-2008 for payments to eligible providers. If you go to this link
https://www.cfda.gov/index?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=eaa295c59359e90f3cd3e095f8e7b09a&cck=1&au=&ck=, you?ll see that in 2008, Section 1011 has disbursed $596,200,567 to 2,165 hospitals, 50,116 physicians, and 504 ambulance providers.

I know a lot of people who are undocumented and don?t have health insurance. I often ask them about their health care situation. I could write about dozens of stories here, but suffice it to say that they are all receiving outstanding health care, and are very happy with the current system. In fact, I have yet to meet even one undocumented immigrant who has had any health issues related to his lack of health insurance. I bet you have never met one either. And in Southeast Texas, the hospitals seem eager to welcome them back. I never understood that before. But now it all makes sense. The illegals get health care and Medicare pays the hospitals for it.

But this was only the preface to the old guy?s question. What he wanted to ask about was if the Congressman was aware of recent efforts by the Democrats to temporarily have Medicare stop paying the Hospitals for caring for the illegals. Yes that?s right, Democrats want to temporarily stop spending for something. Sounds like a good idea. But it?s a trick.

As more and more people are questioning if there really are many people having trouble receiving health care, there is apparently an ongoing effort led by Rahm Emanuel to create a crises quickly where none exists. (?You never want a serious crisis to go to waste"? Rahm Emanuel in Novemeber 2008 at a Wall Street Journal conference.) And if we don?t know the background, this trick will work. And the manufactured crises will turn public opinion their way.
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by ksgates99 August 24, 2009 11:32 PM EDT
Obama is not being truthful as usual!! Yes Illegal immigrants can receive FREE HEALTH CARE from your tax dollars. Here is now. Right now there is no verification that a person is a citizen of the United States. This verification process was voted down in congress!!! So the answer is YES, illegal immigrants will receive free health care!!!
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by jimmy1249 August 21, 2009 2:58 PM EDT
don't the courts make the hospitals take care of illegals. They can;t refuse to treat illegals insurance or no insurance so even with public or private we still pay so how can the president say say we won't have to pay under the new insurance reform isn't that technically a lie
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by greentownbomber August 18, 2009 10:47 AM EDT
Then why did the Dems vote down the Heller Admendment? It would have required citizenship proof, but I guess if O states it won't be used for illegals, I quess we can take his word.
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by zman5478 July 28, 2009 10:06 PM EDT
Obama is deceitful just as any other politian is. How can one say that the little innocent childeren of illegal immigrants can be given healthcare. Where would their parents be, deported? Of course not, they will be on the automatic golden brick "pathway" and become a legal US citizen! What a two faced SOB. My viewpoint is a little different, I am a semi-retired Canadian living in Panama. I have been on legal migration here for almost 5 years and soon to be complete. I can tell you that if your papers are not in order here immigration will boot you from the country ASAP. There is no free healthcare for foreingners, rich or poor, you are on your own, even after obtaining a residency. No welfare, no monthly checks, no food stamps, even for the citizens of Panama! And you have to show that you are solvent and can provide for yourself and are not going to take work away from a Panamanian, (imagine that novel concept). It sadens me to see the USA going down a path of pure socialism and frightens me to think where you will be 3 1/2 years from now when Obama is finished. The USA in my mind was the last large, free capitalistic society left where one could work hard and make their dreams come true and still have the majority of the wealth they worked so hard for. In the future that will no longer be the case because the US is rapidily joining the high levels of taxation of Canada, Europe and other socialistic states that casterate any real growth and innovation because of high taxes. Politians want voters and the welfare moms and their kids outnumber the hardworking folk. Very sad to see the good ole USA going down this path. I can say as a Canadian expat, socialism was one of the (many) reasons I left my homeland and to this day I am a ashamed of what my country has become. Sending a monthly welfare check so that lazy deadbeats can stay at home, watch cable TV all day, eat ice cream and potato chips and have babies (so the monthly checks get bigger) is just plain evil and morally wrong!
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by icetrout July 27, 2009 3:49 PM EDT
How bout the Neo-Libs donate everything they have to the support of the illegals they love so much.I myself have lost enough monies over the years to shill companies who use illegal aliens for their labor force.Now I'm going to be taxed again to pay for their health-care???WE'RE UNDER ATTACT THIS IS A CALL TO ARMS!!!
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by agfillion July 25, 2009 9:48 PM EDT
Pensecola8 You are a bona fide nut. You say the mostly incredibly wrong things. Cripes, where are you getting it. Hospitals in border states are being shut down by the huge monetary burden of caring for illegals who are not paying their bills. Get real and do some actual reading before you start telling people how the rest of the world does things. They only do it like that in your imagination. We should just tell all the people who are homeless to go over to your house to live. You can let them sleep in your house, your yard, your garage. Feed them and clothe them, take them for medical care and provide schooling for them. Should be no problem for you right!!! Grapes of Wrath and all that......
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by agfillion July 25, 2009 8:30 PM EDT
Consider this. Even if Obama adds around 15 million illegals to our healthcare plan and some of you wingnuts think that's manageable..... the U.S. has a policy of allowing 1 million immigrants to our country every year. WE"RE BROKE PEOPLE".... we can't sustain that type of program. Especially when the immigrants aren't going to be paying. We need to cut medical costs by taking care of illegals, tort reform and fraud, especially in the medicare/medicaid programs. We need to start taking care of American's first. You know, we have the finest healthcare on the planet. We do more research and development than any other country. That does cost money and makes things expensive. But, there isn't one person in America right now, illegal or not, that can't get medical care if they walk into a public hospital and need help. Stop believing all the hype. You can't reduce medical costs by implementing an inefficient health insurance plan.
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by enjoybeingagirl July 25, 2009 5:17 PM EDT
All illegals need to leave our country the same way they came in! Yes they are totally breaking the emergency rooms! And did everyone know that if a person comes in for treatment and they can't speak English we have to provide the translator free of charge? The hospitals can't by law turn anyone away! I pay school taxes even though my daughter attends a private school. I did not send her to our public school because of the rift raft! Go shopping any day of the week and you will see Mexicans using their food stamps! I too am very tired of it! Our government needs to enforce the law and get them out of our country. My ancestor did not fight in the American Revolution to support Illegals. Fed up
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