Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Cardinal calls for health coverage for illegal immigrants

Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles is sure to drum up some controversy for saying it makes "no sense to deny" illegal immigrants healthcare.

In an op-ed, published Tuesday in the New York Times, the Cardinal says current health care bills falls short in three areas: the prohibition of federal money for abortions, the inclusion of provisions to ensure affordability, and the defense of immigrants’ rights to healthcare.

But he focuses his concerns on immigrants and what he describes as the “lack of adequate health care for immigrants who live in our midst but who do not yet have legal standing.”

Mahony points out that the Senate bill bars illegal immigrants from using even their own money to buy health insurance in the government-sponsored marketplace. The House bill allows illegal immigrants to purchase health insurance from the government-sponsored program, if they use their own money and receive no federal subsidy.

Both he says, have problems.
"When undocumented immigrants are intentionally excluded from health care coverage, they are forced to go to the only place where they will be accepted for care: trauma centers and emergency rooms — the most expensive health care delivery systems in the country. What a foolish waste of money, particularly in a time of economic stress for everyone. "
"...Using their own money, undocumented immigrants could receive basic health services through less expensive community clinics and doctors’ offices…And by paying into the system, immigrants would make health care less pricey for all by spreading the risks and costs among a larger pool of participants."

Mahony says that at least the House bill allows undocumented immigrants to purchase health insurance from the proposed exchange. But he says the Senate bill takes the country in the "opposite direction and needs to be changed."

"How is the health of the entire country helped when the Senate will not even allow immigrants to use their own money to purchase their health insurance?"

Read the full op-ed here.

27 comments:

  1. The catholic church already enjoys a similar benefit of illegals. They Neither one pays taxes. So they should all shut the hell up about what benefits they need until they start paying for them.

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  2. This ghoul is a huge marxist that sticks his long nose where it doesn't belong...politics. What he needs to do is root our all the child molestors from the priesthood instead of protecting them like that Catholic Church did for so long. Furthermore, this is the same old tired Mahoney that was whining about amnesty for illegal aliens the last two times in 2007 it was tried by Congress. Idiots never change...they remain idiots. The Church is dieing for new members and their money, so of course, he wants amnesty for illegals...at least 85% of them are from Latin America who are allmost exclusively Roman Catholic. Just like the SEIU and the Teamsters are for amnesty to increade their membership and corral their dues...so is the Catholic Church.

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  3. The world community has come to regard America as an “International Park” where other nations, (particularly Mexico) can dump its hopeless, diseased, insane, criminal, uneducated and undesirable people. Castro did this before on a one time basis when he emptied his prisons and asylums and floated them to Florida. Mexico, however has done this on a continual basis for decades.

    For the first time in American history, we have millions of illegal aliens and their anchor babies demonstrating on America’s streets demanding “rights” and other benefits set aside for lawful residents. We are reaping the whirlwind of foreigners and their supporters demanding open borders and rights never earned nor deserved. They are aided and abetted by the Catholic Church, labor unions, ACLU, LULAC, MALDEF, NCLR, MeCHA, Communists, Marxists, Socialists and the Mexican Government. These groups and treasonous politicians spout mantras and propaganda in an attempt to minimize the great damage to this country by giving those who sneaked into America a legal status. They even attempt to deceive us through slogans like “family values”, “economic necessity”, “wanting a better life”, “nation of immigrants” and other half truths and outright lies. DON'T FALL FOR IT...INSIST ON THE RULE OF OUR LAWS. Immigration is fine and acceptable to Americans as long as it is controlled, based on need and follows the legal process so we may choose who we let in and who we don't.

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  4. The Catholic Church has been benefitting from illegal immigration for decades.

    Just look at the number of "safe houses" they put up just this side of the border in the US.

    They don't have them in Mexico for Central American illegals, just the US. so they can get bigger bucks later.

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  5. Almost every illegal immigrant is Catholic. They don't like the idea of helping the poor from their own non-profit funds.

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  6. The catholic church needs to protect these people, they are their bread and butter....poor and uneducated. Those are the people and areas of the world that are embracing catholicism.

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  7. Where is Joe Wilson now?

    The illegal alien debate is going to get under the skin of enough Americans so that they take action and rid the land of them....

    Watching the liberal left spend the rest of us into oblivion, while skirting the real issues at hand is providing enough stress as it is, now we have the luxury of hearing about a group of law breakers and their supporters whining about more handouts?

    I don't think so.

    GO HOME ILLEGAL ALIENS AND COME BACK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR IF YOU MUST COME BACK AT ALL!

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  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  9. If the Catholic church wants healthcare for illegals, then I suggest they use some of their tax-free earnings to pay for it themselves. This is why so much of Europe has moved away from the Roman church: Catholicism is increasingly irrelevent. Thank god! :-)

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  10. I second what zeezil said!

    Hey Franco, the Washington Post has an interesting series about the plights of illegals in the U.S. It's incredibly left-leaning, playing on peoples emotions for the 'poor illegals'. I figured you'd enjoy it though.

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  11. Then the CATHOLIC CHURCH should pay for the health care of the criminals. Franco, YOU ARE A TRAITOR! YOU support the illegal invaders over the citizens of this country. Go back where YOU came from.

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  12. Franco, Why do you support illegal immigration?

    You won't answer, what you do is stirring the pot then sit back and watch and listen. You are a coward.

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  13. If the Catholic cult wanted to use some of its billions to pay for health care for illegals, I have no problem with it at all. But keep your hands out of my wallet.

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  14. Just a request to please keep the comments clean and civil.

    And to Anon 6:44, I'd like to note that its not my job to take a side one way or the other, but to present points and different perspectives of the debate.

    This is something the Los Angeles Cardinal told a national audience. I think a lot of our local readers would be interested in knowing what his opinions are.

    I understand this is an emotional issue, but as I have said before I don’t see why we can’t have a spirited dialogue without the name calling.

    I typically don't respond to anonymous posters. Yet, I did find it humorous that someone is calling me a coward while posting anonymously.

    Thanks for reading everyone.

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  15. No problem Roger, you pay for it. I'm broke paying for my own insurance.

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  16. Great, let this Prince Of The Church pay the bill for it.

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  17. Franco, Why do you support illegal immigration? Non-coward.

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  18. Health bills fail to block illegals from coverage

    November 30, 2009

    Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants could receive health care coverage from their employers under the bills winding their way through Congress, despite President Obama's explicit pledge that illegal immigrants would not benefit.

    The House bill mandates, and the Senate bill strongly encourages, businesses to extend health care coverage to all employees. But the bills do not have exemptions to screen out illegal immigrants, who usually obtain jobs by using false identities and are indistinguishable from legal workers.

    A rough estimate by the Center for Immigration Studies suggests that the practical effect of the mandates would be that about 1 million illegal immigrants could obtain health insurance coverage through their employers....

    MORE AT: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/30/health-bills-fail-to-block-illegals-from-coverage/

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  19. I was wondering where the anti-Catholic voices were. The comments on this blog have always sounded like a Klan rally--with the cowards hiding behind "Anonymous" instead of hoods and robes.

    I grant that I don't use my name--I am not stupid--but at least you know it is the same person taking the positions I take.

    The Catholic Church has no option but to support healthcare--it is a part of the humanae vitea encyclical that laid out the Church's opposition to abortion and birth control.

    Clever guy, that Pope Paul VI, planning this back in 1968 before the mouth-breatfers knew it was coming.

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  20. "Mouth-breathers", of course.

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  21. Of course the Catholic Church wants more illegals to come to this country, as long as they bring little boys to church. Lots of little boys.

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  22. For the 1,874,765 time - the operative word here is "ILLEGAL"...

    So Catholic Church?... Stay out of government issues or we should demand your tax exempt status be revoked.

    NO benefits for ILLEGALS except a one-way ticket back to their homeland.

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  23. Thats what I say! Let the Church add them to its insurance policy! Since it gets its funds from them anyway! This is downright sickening. Illegal is illegal period. I ride around worried because I forgot to put on my seatbelt and have to worry about some ahole with no insurance driving here drunk and illegal with pounds of pot in his trunk killing people as part of his gang all while working on a construction crew and sending all the money back to Mexico. What are we doing allowing this type of behavior. If the criminals and yes that is what they are "Criminals" are allowed to overun the courthouse and rule of law then what are we to do?

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  24. He knows that these illegals will tithe their 10% to the church like good little sheep. Its about money. What a joke.

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  25. What is all the banter about? Illegals get free health care already.

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  26. In China an employer of foreigners is responsible for the employees medical
    expenses. Thats how it should be in the U.S. Health care reform laws should make
    it the employers responsibilty to pay the
    medical cost of the foreign workers.

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  27. The Roman Jesuit invasion. didn't we fight Rome prior to the inception of the USA? Get the roman government out of here!

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