One of the most contentious issues in the current health care debate has nothing to do with the health coverage of US citizens. Yes, you have guessed it, it is the issue that led a congressman to call President Obama a lier on national television.
The administration and all its supporters claim that the new proposed health care reforms being championed by the White House would not provide any coverage whatsoever to the illegal/undocumented immigrants in the country while most of the opposition make the counter claim that up to 6 million undocumented individuals would most likely be covered under the new plan.
Well, who is right and who is wrong? As difficult as this might be to believe, both are right and both are wrong at the same time. Technically the new health care reform would not provide any subsidies to any of the illegal/undocumented individuals but there are no active provisions to prevent these workers and their families from misleading the authorities by taking advantage of the lack of enforcement to get coverage that they were not targeted to get. Realistically many will find a way to cheat the system in the same way that many find a way to cheat on their income taxes, job applications and yes school exams. At times, we spend on enforcement more than the potential savings achieved from the strict adherence to the intention of a particular policy, and so we have to ask whether it is worth it to spend huge sums of money in order to prevent people from accessing health care?
The argument to provide heath care to those that need it, whether undocumented or not, does not rest on the human rights premise only but it can be shown that it is more efficient for all of us if we subsidize health care to undocumented because once the illness is severe and it requires urgent medical attention then we do provide medical aid through the expensive ER route.
So the question should not be concerned with the possibility that some will cheat but whether we should encourage people to cheat by depriving them of a service that will increase their own welfare and ours simultaneously. What do you think? Why shouldn't we provide health care to those that are working for us?
The point of the debate should not be weather or not individuals will be able to find loopholes to receive the of a healthy life. The real debate needs to be weather we are going to continue to skirt around the topic of universal health care or actual committ to overhauling a system which is obviously outdated and not working for millions of humans (weather they were born in Illinois or Rio De Janerio). I understand that it is important to compromise when there is an issue as contentious as this but I wish there were more lawmakers standing up for the complete universilization of this basic human right.-- Vinnie
ReplyDeleteWhy is it such a horrendous idea for the United States to finally make an effort to get up to par when it comes to health care? Why is it so out of the question that we may be showing some form of humanity in the process and putting out money to efficient use? Why is it so crazy for someone like myself to go to sleep at night knowing that if something goes wrong, that it is okay because I am insured. It has been very hard for me to watch these speeches, and these town hall meetings because it feels as if we are all very lost. It seems as if somewhere in the last few years we have all really forgotten what life is all about; or maybe we never knew. Are we really going to stoop down to this level again? To the level of blaming the few that "get around the system" and "ruin it for everyone." It's funny because I thought my family was above all of it, but the second I say health care, my mom starts crying that my dad is working so many extra hours so that these "people" can be taken care of with no cost to their own. What would be so terrible for our tax money to go into a greater good? Tax dollars have been raised and wasted for years and years, millions, even billions going into a war that no one understands. What is the difference between an illegal immigrant who works hard but who doesn't pay taxes, and a teenager whose parents land them the perfect job off of the books? What's the difference? Aren't they both "stealing?" Is it okay for the latter because they are from the acceptable majority? Because they speak the common language? Are they more deserved of care and respect, even though they aren't paying into the plan? I'm not sure when we all became delusional, when we were all bought into the idea that we could make it out of life alone. I don't know what people are thinking, when they say that we should just watch out for our own, because if that were the case none of us would be here; no one would be surviving. When health care is improved for one it can be better for all, and when education is improved a neighborhood can improve. When mindset improves maybe we can all be proud to be americans again, because right now we are not acting like a very "united" states.
ReplyDeleteWe can argue between whether illegal and legal immigrants should or should not receive health benefits. Of course they are human beings so they should have this "right." Say if we all agree with this compassionate view: that because both illegal and legal immigrants are human therefore they are entitled to healthcare as a right. Ok great ... at whose cost ? Now to what extent ? When does the "door close"? Is this for anyone who can get across the border ? Is it UNITED STATES HEALTHCARE or NORTH AMERICAN (and some SOUTH AMERICANS) who can jump across the border healthcare ?
ReplyDeleteI believe most people that are concerned about the health care debate would not argue that illegal immigrants may deserve health care because they are human. I think the debate is who pays for these illegal immigrants? and which illegal immigrants ... Is it only the illegal immigrants that the country can take advantage of who will receive healthcare benefits? or ... Is it only illegal immigrants that have been here and "new" illegal immigrants after today's date cannot receive benefits here in the United States? or ... Is this policy -the United States is offering a free health care plan .. jump over the border and come get it- !
Now at whose cost ? Maybe you don't mind paying extra money to pay for others healthcare in the form of additional taxes. However, shouldn't this be somebody's individual choice? I think individuals are fearful of being taxed more more more .. without any say there money is taken by the government to pay for an illegal immigrants healthcare. I think people that work hard making 100k plus a year are sick of hearing .. "you can afford it" (referring to additional taxes and expenses) when they are simply living in a nice house with two nice cars that THEY DESERVE and making the monthly bills do not come easy with two kids in college and simply enjoying the life they worked hard for.
If these messages were made clear maybe the healthcare debate would be a bit smoother. Whether or not any of these concepts are true or false this is truly how the "middle- class" feels about the healthcare plan they are hearing. They are not stating that illegal immigrants are not human, they are simply worried that they will be taxed out of their own lives that they worked hard for and deserve.
- Bobby Spence
I agree with Bobby. If some of the questions he drew were awnsered more clearly than there will be less of an debate; it would be easier to take a side. But overall I believe that everyone does have a right to healthcare and also the responsibility of paying taxes along with that right. There should be a program for illegal immigrants to receive proper healthcare that is affordable and effective. They do have the right to treatment because they are living, breathing human beings but it is also unfair for hardworking citizens to foot the entire bill--we don't have the monetary means to give everyone healthcare without hurting ourselfs in the process, therefore they have to at lest help out. Furthermore if we let all illegal immigrants recieve free healthcare than more illegal immigrants would want to come to the USA for free healthcare and costs would dramatically rise--we would not be able to afford these costs alone, it would be unfair. Also the United States does waste billions on war so something like universal health care shouldnt be under heavy debate. I feel as if a lot of people forget about the basic principles of being American--life, liberty and pursuit. But how is anyone suppose to accomplish any of the above without proper healthcare and the comfort knowing that if i become sick, i will recieve treatment. This debate is bothersome because it is unfair that we have to beg for proper healthcare when other country's healthcare systems are much more effective with half the cost. So where is the other half going? Someones obviously benfiting off of this and its not the American people. But overall healthcare is essential and theres always going to be people who cheat the system, but thats not a reason to dissmiss a plan that will save americans money and worry from being dropped insurance companies when they become sick.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any way to make the healthcare system "fair" for everybody. The upper middle class and upper class tax payers have every right to be frustrated when they are working hard and more and more of the money they are earning is being taken away so that other people who took the easier way out can be taken care of. On the other hand, how can we as human beings look to someone who is in need and turn them away. Not providing health care for illegals is not going to solve the problem of illegals being in our country. They will still be here living in unhealthy conditions and if something happens to them, nobody will be there to help them. As a nursing major, I have seen firsthand both sides of the argument. Last week I met a 20 year old girl who was badly injured in a car accident over 2 years ago that is still in the hospital with nowhere else to go because of her lack of insurance. No rehabilitation homes will accept her. If she received no heath coverage at all, how would anyone be able to look at her family and tell them they will not help? At some point, we may have to get over what is fair and who deserves what and accept the fact that we as a country, must take care of one another. -Stephanie
ReplyDeleteWhy would the 20year old not have had health insurance?
ReplyDeleteDid her parents not have insurance from work on a volutanry or involuntary basis? Was she a fulltime student who could have enrolled with her university?
If both her parents were 'out of work' and she was also not in school then ... What happened to the car insurance .. was her accident 'at fault' or was the other driver 'at fault'?
The answered questions in a story like this need to be cleared up before we start feeling so badly for some people. This 'universal healthcare would not solve this girls problems!!
Why didn't the car insurance pay? Was there a maximum payable .. because there will be one with Obama HealthTax ... sorry I mean Universal Healthcare as well. - Yours Truly
Obama HealthTax haha. That was clever, if you see things that way. Although the particulars definitely need ironing out, I am just happy that the government is looking in this direction. It is good to be having the argument about how inefficent our health care as a whole has been for too long. Where do illegals fit in here? I really don't know. Alot of people say oh they already suck my mom or my dad's hard earned money out of the system with medicare and welfare, but after working in a food pantry and public works office for a while I am not so sure that it all that easy to get enough money out of the government to survive, let alone to live lavishly without doing any work yourself. With this argument being made about health care, we will surely be talking about insurance policies, as well as more efficient testing and filing systems, prevention and better living. I am a firm believer in the pay it forward effect and I think that just doing and doing all one for oneself and never giving on to others doesn't maximize happiness, satisifaction or success.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the undocumented having access to healthcare has become an increasing problem with these current economic times. As of now, the healthcare system now is quite inefficient and needs to be reformed before any progress can and will be seen. People argue now that the current policy encourages the undocumented to gain access to healthcare by cheating the system.American taxpayers argue that they should not have more money taken from their paychecks to provide healthcare for people who do not pay taxes and they do make a valid point.It has been shown that it is more efficient to have healthcare subsidized rather than spending large sums of money trying to prevent undocumented gaining access to healthcare. Ultimately the solution to the healthcare system will not come until new policies are adopted that will make the system more efficent. I also believe that the solution will kept at a distance from the moral issues that come with this problem and deal mainly with which policy is going to be the most efficient and beneficialfor all of America.
ReplyDelete-Jim