Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's proposal to provide health coverage to every child in
California, including illegal aliens, could leave the state liable for
untold billions in unforeseen costs in the future, warns the Federation for
American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The conservatively estimated cost of
$400 million a year could easily balloon to many times that figure. Costs
will grow as the numbers of illegal aliens in California increase and may
rise even more dramatically as legal residents of other states take
advantage of a federal law that requires that state benefits made available
to illegal aliens must be made available to all legal U.S. residents.
The irony of Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to publicly fund health
insurance for an estimated 6.5 million residents who lack basic coverage is
that illegal immigration has been one of the key factors in creating
millions of uninsured Californians. A large percentage of U.S. citizen
children without coverage are the offspring of illegal immigrants.
Moreover, the presence of millions of low-wage illegal aliens in the
California labor force has led to many employers dropping coverage that
they used to provide to workers and their families.
"Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal, if enacted, would create yet another
magnet attracting still more illegal aliens to California," commented Dan
Stein, president of FAIR. "Illegal aliens themselves will be attracted by
this very generous benefit the governor wants to make available, and the
knowledge that the taxpayers will pick up the tab for health insurance will
convince still more California employers to shift that cost burden to the
public."
Another factor apparently not accounted for by Gov. Schwarzenegger is a
provision of a 1996 federal immigration law that requires a state that
provides a benefit to illegal immigrants to make that same benefit
available to all legal residents of the U.S. "There are millions of
children all across the country who do not have health insurance," observed
Stein. "If this proposal is enacted, all of them could claim the same
health benefits in California, according to federal law. Gov. Schwarzenegger is either unaware of this law, or ignoring it."
California voters have made it repeatedly clear that they oppose
granting benefits to illegal aliens and that they demand fiscal
responsibility from their elected officials. "The governor's proposal runs
afoul of the public's distaste for being burdened with the costs of illegal
immigration -- even if the state had the resources, which clearly it does
not. In addition to creating a vast and expensive new entitlement for
illegal aliens, Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan is short on details about how he
plans to pay for it now and into the future," said Stein.
"Illegal immigration is the leading cause for the increase of uninsured
families in California and throughout the U.S. The problem can only be
addressed by enforcing laws against illegal immigration, not through
unsustainable schemes that will only encourage more illegal immigration,"
Stein concluded.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national,
non- profit, public interest membership organization of concerned citizens
who share a belief in stronger border enforcement, an end to illegal
immigration, and a reduction of immigration levels consistent with national
interests.
Federation for American Immigration Reform
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