Illegal Immigration and Healthcare Reform

        The cynical optimist, I have followed the health care “debate.” I believe that the goal of universal health care is something we should aspire too. Sprinkled throughout the sound-bites were questions and comments about whether or not the health care reforms would apply to illegal immigrants.
        President Obama said in his address to Congress, “the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”
        You’ll remember the quote, because Representative Joe Wilson yelled, “Lie!” a moment later.
        Illegal immigration used to be a problem along the border with Mexico, but it has become a national issue, with most states feeling the pressures. But let’s take emotion out of the question.
        The House bill would cover illegal immigrants and would allows them to enroll in the public option. CNN reports that: “The Senate plan exempts illegal immigrants from the health coverage mandate, and prohibits illegal immigrants from participating in the insurance exchanges.” The NYT says that “The budget office estimates that the bill would provide coverage to 31 million uninsured people, but still leave 23 million uninsured in 2019. One-third of those remaining uninsured would be illegal immigrants.” According to most experts, to get a bicameral bill the House will basically adopt the Senate bill rather than subject it to the reconciliation process.
        Why should we care, illegals are here illegally. Humanitarian arguments from bleeding hearts will bleed the country dry. Illegals are simply not entitled to the same rights as US citizens. Period. Does this sound selfish? It isn’t, it’s stupid.
        Illegals should and must be covered. It is a public health matter. Many illegal immigrants are at higher risk than citizens for a range of diseases that could effect everyone. Schools routinely insist on vaccinations, and most places have laws that permit quarantining certain sick people, all to protect the community. For example, look at TB:
        Some 1 in 3 people worldwide are infected with TB; however, it isn’t until the TB bacteria become active (often due to reduced immunity—other illnesses not least HIV aids, poor diet, stress, age, etc.—that TB develops. Although most forms of TB can be treated, mismanagement of anti-tuberculosis drugs can result in MDR-TB (multidrug-resistant TB). Further mismanagement of drugs can result in XDR-TB, extensively drug-resistant TB). Not only is treatment of TB and public health issue of top priority, but if the treatment is mismanaged (illegal immigrants denied health care and at risk of being caught and deported either do not seek help or get it in the underground, where treatment mismanagement is a probability not a possibility), the likelihood of MDR-TB and XDR-TB developing increases. The resulting costs of treating an outbreak of drug resistant TB would dwarf the costs of providing safe—safe from deportation, safe from financial complications—and competent health care to illegals.
        HIV/AIDS, STDs, mumps, measles, chicken pox, meningitis, typhoid . . .
        If people at risk—at risk of disease and deportation—are denied health care either directly by being excluded or indirectly by being turned over to immigration, the community, you and me, are at risk.
        While immigration is a complex question, health care should not me.

References

CNNPolitics: “FAQs about health care reform” (December 21, 2009)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/21/health.care.faqs/index.html
The New York Times, “Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul on Party-Line Vote (December 24, 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/health/policy/25health.html