[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17413]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    WHY ARE AMERICANS FORCED TO PAY FOR THE HEALTH CARE OF ILLEGALS?

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the government control crowd is 
pushing for universal government takeover of health care. They say only 
Dr. Uncle Sam can cure the high cost of medicine.
  Well, one way to keep down the high cost of health care that no one 
dares mention is to secure the borders. The flood of illegals coming 
here for free health care services costs taxpayers billions every year. 
California spends $1.5 billion a year in medical costs just for 
illegals. No wonder they are going broke. Texas spends $700 million a 
year. Virginia spends $100 million a year, and they are not even a 
border state.
  That doesn't count the cost to hospitals that treat illegals. 
Hospitals aren't allowed to check citizenship, so illegals use 
expensive emergency rooms to treat minor ailments. The hospital then 
must charge more to citizens and legal immigrants just to stay in 
business. Illegals also drive up the cost of medical insurance for 
everybody else.
  Mr. Speaker, if we stop paying for medical coverage for illegals, 
then citizens and legal immigrants could obtain affordable health care. 
Americans should not be forced and coerced to pay for the health care 
of people illegally in the United States.
  And that's just the way it is.

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