| | Steve,
You are talking about Section 246 which has neither a verification nor an enforcement clause. All it has is a single weasel-worded sentence, "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States". There are about 71 means-tested federal programs that require the use of the SAVE system to prevent illegal immigrants and other ineligible non-citizens from accessing them. In July an amendment was proposed by Rep. Heller (R-Nev.) that would have required use of the SAVE program but was defeated by the House Ways and Means Committee.
And the Congressional Research Service, in the summary, states, “Under HR 3200, all legal permanent residents (LPRs), non-immigrants, and unauthorized aliens who meet the substantial presence test… would be required to obtain health insurance.” [emphasis by bolding is mine] 'Substantial presence' is defined as having been in the States for at least 31 days during the current year and at least 183 days during the current year and previous two years. No mention is made of legal status in the legislation for determining substantial presence.
We should not grant Obama the benefit of the doubt - he was a legislator before becoming President - he KNOWS that illegal aliens would get medical care - he KNOWS about the need for verification and enforcement and he knows that such an amendment was defeated. We need to call these slimy politicians liars and hold them accountable. Pretending to ourselves that maybe they thought it was taken care or that he really didn't know, is how they get away with being liars and continuing on decade after decade.
Some of the stuff he said is just unbelievable. He guaranteed it would be revenue neutral. He offered to put in triggers that would force spending cuts or revenue enhancements if it didn't pay for itself. Think about that for second. It's like he had said, "Pass my bill so I can start nationalizing our medical care system, and it it doesn't work just perfectly, I'll go gut some other program to reduce spending, and/or increase taxes till we get it all taken care of."
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