NCLR: universal healthcare should include illegal aliens; Janet Murguia's transparent plea

Via this, the National Council of La Raza has issued a new, completely transparent plea to include illegal aliens in universal healthcare (nclr.org/content/news/detail/57979). They're "strongly urg[ing] President Obama and Congress to make every effort to ensure that health care reform reaches all communities", and they don't want there to be any citizenship or related eligibility testing. They also make this statement:

No single community stands to gain as much from this important debate as Latinos. In the U.S., one out of every three uninsured persons and roughly 40% of all uninsured children are Latino. NCLR stands for health care reform that makes coverage affordable and accessible for everyone - all families and all children.

The NCLR keeps making statements against their own interest; just last month they discussed how poorly Latinos are performing in school. That and the above would seem to be strong arguments against massive immigration from Latin America, yet what the NCLR wants would incentivize such immigration.

But, don't worry, the NCLR - speaking on behalf of all Hispanics - says they'll try to chip in:

We all use doctors and hospitals for care, so it’s right that everyone in the U.S. should contribute to a new health system. Latinos accept their responsibility, and if they have the opportunity, they will pay their fair share for the health coverage they need,” said NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia.

The last seems to be related to one of the recent Democratic Party talking points in favor of comprehensive immigration reform: that those amnestied will become taxpayers. What they fail to note is that most Hispanics are low-wage earners and they won't be paying their "fair share". But - speaking on behalf of all Hispanics - Murguia assures us they'll try.

As for what they don't want:

NCLR cautions, however, that the positive impact of several reform proposals on the table may be undermined by additional measures that would severely restrict access to health coverage by mandating new, expensive verification and documentation procedures. “This debate should be about health care for all, and setting the nation on a pathway to future health and well-being. Adding layers of immigrant verification and bureaucratic red tape to a new health care system would guarantee that millions of citizen children are effectively barred from accessing preventive care and would raise the cost of health care,” Murguía noted.

“For this reason, we are extremely concerned that some view health reform as a way to scapegoat immigrants,” Murguía continued. “We agree that the immigration system needs to be fixed, but address that problem separately through immigration reform. The best way to reduce costs in our health care system is to ensure that people do not have to follow a long paper trail to get to the doctor and that everyone shares the costs of a new system. Making health care easier to use and accessible for all workers and children is simple common sense.”

The costs associated with giving UHC to illegal aliens most likely dwarfs the costs of that "red tape", but expect to only hear about the latter. And, the first paragraph is apparently an argument against mixed-status families; the numbers of such families have increased and will increase in the future thanks to those who support illegal immigration, such as the NCLR.

And, of course, the first part of the second paragraph is playing the race card, Howard Dean-style. The rest of the paragraph is like a lie a child would tell.

Mon, 06/22/2009 - 21:16 · · Importance: 4