[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2014-E2015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING PRIMARY AND PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO UNDOCUMENTED 
                               RESIDENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation 
which would allow states and localities to provide primary and 
preventive health care services to undocumented residents.
  An analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies of the Current 
Population Survey collected in March of 2002 by the Census Bureau 
indicates that 33.1 million immigrants live in the United States. Among 
those an estimate of 9 million are undocumented residents and about 
900,000 are persons on long-term temporary visas, such as students and 
temporary workers.
  The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
of 1996 (PRWORA) prohibits public hospitals from providing free or 
discounted preventive service to undocumented immigrants--even if they 
pay for such services with State or local funds. PRWORA does, however, 
allow public hospitals to provide emergency room services.
  This system has created a crisis in our nation's emergency rooms. 
Because undocumented residents cannot afford to see the doctor for 
routine physicals and preventive medicine, they arrive in the emergency 
room with costlier, often preventable, health problems. The Federation 
for American Immigration Reform estimates that 29 percent of this 
population uses hospital and other emergency services in a given year, 
compared to the 11 percent use by the general U.S. population.
  The costs of this broken system are especially burdensome for our 
nation's public hospitals. According to the Congressional Research 
Service, undocumented residents cost Texas taxpayers, insurance 
companies, and patients more than $173,072,108 million in 2001. Since 
the federal government is wholly responsible for establishing 
immigration policy, and for policing the borders to keep out 
unauthorized aliens, shouldn't the federal government pay for 
immigration related health care costs? Unfortunately, federal 
Allotments for State Emergency Health Services to attend to 
unauthorized residents are not enough to help with the cost, so stats 
are forced to shoulder as much as 50 percent of the costs.
  Mr. Speaker, people should not enter any nation illegally. But I 
cannot understand a

[[Page E2015]]

health care system that forces patients to let their health problems 
escalate into full fledged emergencies before it will provide them 
care. Wouldn't it make more economic sense to cover preventive services 
rather than let illnesses develop into painful and expensive 
complications? Most importantly, should the federal government be 
telling states and localities how they can and can't spend their own 
health care dollars?
  That is why I am introducing legislation which would allow--not 
require--state and local programs to provide the most cost effective 
preventive and primary health care to undocumented aliens. This 
legislation would not provide a new benefit for undocumented residents. 
However, it would make sure that our health care dollars are spent more 
wisely by preventing emergencies--not treating them.

                          ____________________