By John McClaughry
One striking thing that emerged from the Democratic presidential debate a week ago was the unanimous agreement that illegal aliens should be able to buy health insurance, subsidies and all, from the Obamacare exchanges.
In her 2016 health-care platform, Hillary Clinton would have allowed undocumented immigrants to buy marketplace plans, but she would have still excluded them from getting the Obamacare income-based subsidies.
All the Democratic candidates raised their hands in affirmative response to the question of whether they would provide health care coverage to undocumented immigrants.
Two decades before that, Mrs. Clinton was trying to get a major health insurance program passed for her husband. Back then, she expressed concern that extending benefits to the undocumented could encourage more people to enter the country illegally.
Mrs. Clinton told Congress in 1993 “We do not think the comprehensive health-care benefits should be extended to those who are undocumented workers and illegal aliens. We know now that too many people come in for medical care, as it is. We certainly don’t want them having the same benefits that American citizens are entitled to have.”
In the debate, NBC moderator Savannah Guthrie posed this question: “A lot of you have been talking tonight about these government health care plans that you have proposed in one form or another. Raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.”
All the Democratic candidates — including Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders — raised their hands in affirmative response.
You could almost hear Donald Trump laughing in the background.
John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.
Buy? I have the impresion that health care would be just one more freebie for the illegals. If so, our southern boarder crisis will become a worse disaster. Then block your ears as the libs responsible will scream bloody murder because the immigration folks are at fault.
John,
Thank you for this and the many other articles that illustrate the dilemma that the liberals keep putting themselves in. It really seems they have no American institutional compass that, as you denote in this article, even slightly builds on their own past leaders thoughts and purposeful direction.
It is becoming more and more clear that, unless they abandon their philosophical passion for the unworkable absurd, President Trump will walk into the White House comfortably in the next election.
” too many people come in for medical care, as it is” – and Democrats claim many other countries (like we are the bottom) have better health care, better single payer plans than we have. If the United States is so terrible why are we the preferred destination of people leaving other countries?
What are they going to use to buy their health care?? Will they be given a health credit card supported by citizens with their own health care? Or will the demontarded be chipping in their
millions to support their new voting herd (burnee could sell a house for the cause). Sounds like a scam to keep the last of the most worthless Pres ever last big ass mistake alive. Pres Trump has thankfully gotten rid of most that the Kenyan crud laid on us.