Speech #1040203594

Mr. President. I thought I would use a few moments to outline one of the amendments that I intend to offer once we. again. get to the substance of the illegal immigration bill. I will outline it. not knowing whether we will have a chance to offer it later this evening or tomorrow. This amendment will be relevant to the Medicaid deeming to title II of the bill. My amendment exempts children. mothers. and veterans from the Medicaid restrictions in the bill as long as they are legal immigrants. I am deeply concerned that for the first time in the history of the program. we will begin sponsor deeming for Medicaid for legal immigrants. I recognize that this is a highcost program. some $2 billion. for helping legal immigrants over the next 7 years. but the publics health is at stake. not just the immigrants health. The restrictions on Medicaid place our communities at risk. It will be a serious problem for Americans and immigrants who live in highimmigrant areas. If the sponsors income is deemed and the sponsor is held liable for the cost of Medicaid. legal immigrants will be turned away from the program or avoided altogether. These legal immigrants are not going to go away and can get sick like everyone else. and many will need help. But restricting Medicaid means conditions will go untreated and diseases will spread. If the Federal Government drops the ball on Medicaid. our communities and States and local governments will have no choice but to provide this medical care and pick up the cost. In addition to veterans. my amendment exempts children and prenatal and post partum services from the Medicaid deeming requirements for legal immigrants. The bottom line Is. we are talking about children. legal immigrant children who will likely become future citizens. The early years of a persons life are the most vulnerable years for health. All of us are familiar with the various Carnegie studies that have been out in the last 3 years which reinforce that. if there was ever any question about it. If children develop complications early in life. complications which could have been prevented with access to health care. society will pay the costs of a lifetime of treatment when that child becomes a citizen. Children are not abusing Medicaid. When immigrant children get sick. they infect American citizen children. The bill we are discussing today effectively ensures that children in school would not be able to get schoolbased care under the early and periodic screening. detection. and treatment program. This program provides basic schoolbased health care. Under this bill. every time a legal immigrant goes to the school nurse. the nurse will have to determine if the child is eligible for Medicaid. This bill turns school nurses into welfare officers. The end result is that millions of children will not receive needed treatment in early detection of diseases. Consider the following example: A legal immigrant child goes to her school nurse complaining of a bad cough. The nurse cannot treat the child until it has been determined that she is eligible for Medicaid. Meanwhile. the childs illness grows worse and the parents take her to a local emergency room. where it is discovered that the little girl has tuberculosis.