"Taxpayer-funded benefits to illegals" in California are "a skyrocketing cost under Obamacare."
Steve Poizner on Saturday, April 10th, 2010 in a campaign commercial
Condensed story from 2009 Pulitzer prize winner, http://politifact.com/ Click here for Full Story.
One ad, aired by Poizner beginning in April, argues that "like Schwarzenegger," Whitman "will continue taxpayer-funded benefits to illegals. A skyrocketing cost under Obamacare."
The federal bill expands Medicaid eligibility to all Americans earning up to 133 percent of the poverty line. "This will lead to more illegal immigrants enrolling, because California provides a version of Medicaid to illegal immigrants,"
But it's wrong to assume that illegal immigrants will qualify for full-blown Medicaid in California. In fact, the only entitlement they get from Medicaid is emergency care in hospitals, which is already mandatory under federal law and was not changed by the newly passed health care bill. These limited benefits are available to any illegal immigrant who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid were it not for their immigration status. (Illegal immigrants can also qualify for Medicaid benefits for long-term care, but it's not an entitlement -- coverage is provided only to the extent that legislators and the governor agree to fund the program, and there's no federal match.)
Right now, emergency care for illegal immigrants in California is paid by the state and local government. To the extent that more illegal immigrants will now qualify for California's version of Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal) and use emergency hospital services, the only difference will be a shift of payment responsibility from one state or local account to another. (Whether the federal government will continue to pick up part of the cost for treating illegal immigrants using Medi-Cal -- as the federal government does today -- is unclear, given the new bill's language.)
The new federal law specifically prevents illegal immigrants from benefitting, and most of the additional indirect costs that might be expected from expanding the Medicaid rolls are already being paid in California by different state or local government accounts. For these reasons, the phrase "a skyrocketing cost under Obamacare" is a gross exaggeration.
So Steve Poizner --- Are you Kidding?
Steve Poizner on Saturday, April 10th, 2010 in a campaign commercial
Condensed story from 2009 Pulitzer prize winner, http://politifact.com/ Click here for Full Story.
Steve Poizner is the state insurance commissioner of California and a Republican candidate for governor.
One ad, aired by Poizner beginning in April, argues that "like Schwarzenegger," Whitman "will continue taxpayer-funded benefits to illegals. A skyrocketing cost under Obamacare."
The federal bill expands Medicaid eligibility to all Americans earning up to 133 percent of the poverty line. "This will lead to more illegal immigrants enrolling, because California provides a version of Medicaid to illegal immigrants,"
But it's wrong to assume that illegal immigrants will qualify for full-blown Medicaid in California. In fact, the only entitlement they get from Medicaid is emergency care in hospitals, which is already mandatory under federal law and was not changed by the newly passed health care bill. These limited benefits are available to any illegal immigrant who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid were it not for their immigration status. (Illegal immigrants can also qualify for Medicaid benefits for long-term care, but it's not an entitlement -- coverage is provided only to the extent that legislators and the governor agree to fund the program, and there's no federal match.)
Right now, emergency care for illegal immigrants in California is paid by the state and local government. To the extent that more illegal immigrants will now qualify for California's version of Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal) and use emergency hospital services, the only difference will be a shift of payment responsibility from one state or local account to another. (Whether the federal government will continue to pick up part of the cost for treating illegal immigrants using Medi-Cal -- as the federal government does today -- is unclear, given the new bill's language.)
The new federal law specifically prevents illegal immigrants from benefitting, and most of the additional indirect costs that might be expected from expanding the Medicaid rolls are already being paid in California by different state or local government accounts. For these reasons, the phrase "a skyrocketing cost under Obamacare" is a gross exaggeration.
So Steve Poizner --- Are you Kidding?
This post first appeared on Are You Kidding - Political Fact Checker, please read the originial post: here
