In a previous commentary I proposed that universal health care is a human right, not a privilege, based in part on international treaties signed by representatives of the United States of America.
On the international front, most industrialized nations (except the United States) already insure all their citizens for routine and preventive medical services. For this reason, I’m going to fast forward past the ongoing, mostly irrational debate and assume that wiser Democratic heads will prevail, guaranteeing that all Americans will ultimately be provided with medical care via some yet to-be-determined reform legislation. This raises the question whether the 10-12 million or so illegal and undocumented immigrants should also receive non-emergency medical treatment.
From the purely human rights view, the answer should be “yes”. However, from a legal, financial, and political perspective, the answer is likely to be “no”. In fact, Democrats, including President Obama, are bending over backwards to explain that the pending medical proposals will not include care for illegal immigrants, except perhaps for their children.
Most Republicans and restrictionists, such as FAIR, backed by a recent Congressional Research Service Report, generally counter that loopholes will allow undocumented immigrants to get treatment anyway. So the question arises what should we do? Some argue that most children of illegal immigrants already get care via a scattered network of providers, and adults already receive emergency treatment (i.e. if they are in a car crash). However, if the cost of providing emergency treatment is more expensive and unsustainable than providing regular routine health care for American citizens without insurance, then the same is true for illegals. But what makes the argument even more compelling is that illegals are generally younger and healthier than native born Americans, hence they are likely to use health services less frequently; so the cost will be lower.
Conservatives counter that providing health care for the undocumented will only encourage more to migrate here illegally. That may be true. So, why not continue efforts to secure the border as we are already doing? If conservatives are correct, this should drastically reduce the influx of future illegals. However, since illegal migration is a global issue, the United States should make coverage for illegal immigrants contingent on other European Union countries enacting similar legislation. This would even the playing field internationally.
What do you think? Do you believe that undocumented immigrants should be entitled to free (or almost free) medical care if and when a health care reform bill is eventually passed in Congress?
Comments
No, because the number of tax consumers in this country are already poised to overcome the number of tax providers; providing free healthcare to 400 million Latin Americans will just hasten that day. When tax consumers outnumber tax providers, you get -- California. PS -- There is no such thing as a "human right" to someone else's money. Eventually the tax providers will revolt, or move away. That's what happened in Cal.
I also wonder why it is that no one considers tax providers to have "human rights?" What is "right" about using people as tax slaves to support the unproductive? Don't tax providers have "human rights" as well?
Provide emergency care for all lawbreaking illegal aliens, with the proviso that the home countries agree to pay for bad debts. If there is no agreement with the illegal's home country, provide life saving care and deport when patient is stabilized. We are not presently dealing with 13 million American children living in poverty(18% of all American children), 15 million unemployed American workers and another 15 million underemployed American workers as well as 140,000 American veterans that are homeless each night. No services and deport all illegal aliens. After we are able to take care of our own needy, we'll take a look at helping foreigners.
When I was younger and was visiting Canada, I became ill and went to a health clinic and was taken care of without charge and hardly without question. As a human being I feel we all have a right to available healthcare anywhere in the world. It seems that the oath that docs take when they graduate also gaurantees heath care for all that need it. To me it is an embarrasment that we are even having this healthcare debate, and how mean spirited it is.
Mary J, you are correct. I live in Mexifornia. I was born there and have a home there. California refused to reign in the abuses of illegals. In fact Pete Wilson tried in vain to get these people off social services. OH NO they cried, their favorite matra "What about my Children?" all of whom were conceived and born without consulting with me, one of their providers.
We are now broke, literally and because of the inability or lack of trying to rid ourselves of the illegals, their legal brothers and sisters vote according to who will allow these illegals to plant their butts in America without any consideration to what is being done to the social and economic welfare of the citizens, none what so ever. We're broke, the illegals continue to haunt the emergency rooms and call 911 for any and ever slight to serious illness, our hospitals are bankrupted and still the left pushes and pushes to reward this behavior with citizenship which will cost billions of dollars in aid. Crazy.
considering the trend to get checks in the mail rather than get up and work for a living, just what is the incentive to work if everything is provided at the tax payers expense for those who do not pay taxes? If this is not socialism, I certainly will need a refresher course. I do not want to pay for lazy, illegal, or ignorant (by choice) people who breed like animals and their only waking thought is how do I work the system to get more. The workers of America are sick of this and we really are not going to take it anymore. If the only way we can get the lazy out the door to a job that withholds some tax contribution is to offer health programs at work, then so be it. Obama has a mission, and one mission only while in office. Social justice. In other words you and I get to pay for the lazy, the illegal and the disinfranchised while they sit at home and do drugs, watch soap operas and keep up to date on the next social system advantage to not makeing an effort. I'm done with it
Illegal aliens already get FREE healthcare. Amazing! You are in this country ILLEGALLY and you are welcome to our healthcare, FREE!!! Illegal aliens are destroying this Country everyday they are here.
Illegal aliens have made America the dumping ground for all their illegal alien children, then we have to school them and give them free medical care.
Get rid of all the illegal aliens, and we get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!
Absolutely not!!! Illegal aliens should not only not receive health care they should not be granted amnesty nor should they be allowed to remain in our country.
Should stealing from our children and grandchildren be a "human right? We are broke and to cover costs for Obamacare, Obama will have to further steal from our children and grandchildren.
Obama said his Obamacare bill can be "budget neutral." What a preposterous fairy tale! Providing coverage for close to 50 million MORE people and paying for Obama’s armies of bureaucrats to run the Obamacare means further INCREASING OUR DEFFICIT and RATIONING MEDICINE.
Obama's laughable fairy tales only serve to demonstrate that Obamacare is just another power grab that will further destroy our health care, further destroy our economy, steal more money from our children and grandchildren, further multiply our deficit, and further enslave us through lies, manipulation, intimidation and coercion.
saltzydog, thousands of Canadians come to the U.S. for timely and effective care that they can't get in Canada. Additionally, the costly Canadian health care system is now in shambles. Canadian Medical Association Dr. Anne Doig says her country's health-care system is "sick" and "imploding."
"We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize," Doing said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"We know that there must be change," she said. "We're all running flat out, we're all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands."
"(Canadians) have to understand that the system that we have right now - if it keeps on going without change - is not sustainable," said Doig.
In Canada, there is a problem because of political infighting, and also because all the top premeds go to the US for med school, residency, etc. It's called brain drain (and it's not because health care is so perfect in the US, it's the same brain drain as in all of the arts and sciences).
And there are countries that have trouble building highways and irrigation systems that manage to have public health care - it is NOT impossible, and it gives a SMALLER percentage of health care costs to bureaucracy!
The principal problem on our planet today is the ecological imbalance generated by man, as a direct consequence of his/her numbers.
Developing countries are not without blame. We have destroyed forests that restore the carbon balance on our planet, and the poorest person who clears a patch of forest to grow food is equally responsible.
Population control is our only salvation, a starting point would be to shut down all medical services. Those of you who believe in any deity, can consider you are allowing his/her will to be done.
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