So long as they are legal, paying taxes and working on getting citizenship, then I have no problem with their receiving social services --- bad idea
what if it is determined that they should be deported? who is gonna pay the services they receive? that's right - you and me again, until they are legal citizens - no services. On Aug 16, 12:50 pm, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > So long as they are legal, paying taxes and working on getting > citizenship, then I have no problem with their receiving social > services. If they are illegal, then I agree with you that they have no > claim to our social services. I think you need to separate legal > immigrants from illegal immigrants. > > plainolamerican wrote On 08/16/2009 12:52 PM: > > > > > until they are legal citizens they have no claim to our social > > services > > > On Aug 15, 12:33 pm, dick thompson<[email protected]> wrote: > > >>http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/15/30... > > >> * Home<http://www.boston.com/> / > >> * News<http://www.boston.com/news> / > >> * Local<http://www.boston.com/news/local> / > >> * Mass.<http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts> > > >> The Boston Globe<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/> > > >> Immigrants to soon lose state health insurance > > >> Interim plan will cover ER and limited services > > >> By Kay Lazar > >> <http://search.boston.com/local/Search.do?s.sm.query=Kay+Lazar&camp=lo...> > >> Globe Staff / August 15, 2009 > > >> E-mail this article > > >> To: > >> Invalid email address > >> Add a personal message: Your e-mail: > >> Invalid email address > > >> Sending your article > > >> Your article has been sent. > > >> * Email<javascript:void(0)>| > >> * Print > >> > >> <http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/15/30...>| > >> * Reprints<http://www.globereprints.com/>| > >> * Yahoo! Buzz > >> > >> <http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=bostoncom751&guid=http%3A%2F%...>| > >> * ShareThis<javascript:void(0)> > > >> Text size -- + > > >> Thirty thousand legal immigrants have begun receiving letters informing > >> them that their state-subsidized health insurance is ending Aug. 31 and > >> will be replaced by a patchwork system of care until Massachusetts > >> officials can piece together a more comprehensive plan for the most > >> critically ill. > > >> <http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/15/30...> > >> Discuss > >> COMMENTS (106) > >> <http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/15/30...> > > >> "We know that this may be a hard time for you,'' states an accompanying > >> note from Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, secretary of Health and Human Services. "We > >> are committed to finding some way of covering at least some of the costs > >> of your medical needs.'' > > >> Left unanswered is what sort of coverage this group will receive and > >> ultimately what it will cost taxpayers. > > >> The state's interim plan only covers emergencies and other limited > >> services, leaving advocates worried about the welfare of these > >> immigrants. Under the plan, immigrants will be receiving emergency care > >> in hospitals and a limited number of other services through community > >> centers under two state programs, the Health Safety Net and MassHealth > >> Limited. > > >> * *It is unlikely that they will be able to continue receiving coverage > >> for routine or preventive care from their current doctors. > > >> Advocates working with the administration said yesterday that state > >> officials are concentrating on a longer-term plan that will use > >> available funds to provide care for those who are the most seriously ill > >> with cancer and chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. > > >> "Other people who need treatment or need to be diagnosed or get tests, > >> we don't know what type of coverage they may be able to have,'' said Eva > >> A. Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and > >> Refugee Advocacy Coalition. > > >> The federal government does not help pay for treating these 30,000 > >> "special status'' immigrants, typically people who have been here less > >> than five years and are not yet citizens, and thus they are more > >> expensive for the state to insure. Many states have dropped coverage for > >> this class of immigrants, but until now, Massachusetts had continued to > >> provide comprehensive care. > > >> Facing huge budget gaps, lawmakers and Governor Deval Patrick's > >> administration battled much of the spring over coverage for immigrants, > >> with Patrick insisting that these tax-paying residents were entitled to > >> full care. Last month, the Legislature approved $40 million for > >> immigrants' care, $90 million less than the governor requested in his > >> original proposal. The administration then said that $40 million was not > >> "sufficient to maintain meaningful coverage or to develop a scaled-back > >> program.'' > > >> Yesterday, Patrick administration spokeswoman Cyndi Roy said in an > >> e-mailed statement that the administration is "still determining how > >> best to use the $40 million.'' She declined to elaborate. > > >> When state lawmakers approved the $40 million, they required state > >> officials to come up with a plan for using it. If they were unable to, > >> the bill said, the money could be transferred to the Health Safety Net > >> program, which reimburses hospitals and community centers for care given > >> to the uninsured poor.* *The Legislature also stipulated that the > >> Patrick administration could not spend any more than $40 million for the > >> entire group of immigrants through next June. > > >> Brian Rosman, research director for the consumer group Health Care for > >> All, said yesterday that $40 million is not nearly enough to pay for the > >> coverage outlined in the letters to immigrants, and that the > >> administration will probably need to seek additional money from the > >> Legislature by the spring. > > >> Analysts have warned that next year's state budget may need to be even > >> tighter than the current spending plan, because the current budget > >> relies on one-time federal stimulus money and state reserves. > > >> Part of the state's interim coverage plan for this group relies on > >> emergency care delivered through hospitals under the Health Safety Net > >> program. Under law, hospitals cannot turn away patients seeking > >> emergency care, and Rosman said the hospitals' tab could grow hefty. > > >> "If demand for services exceeds money available, the law provides for > >> making proportional cuts to all hospitals,'' he said. "For hospitals on > >> the front line, that means being underpaid for their services, and that > >> gets made up in the long run by higher insurance costs for everyone else.'' > > >> /Kay Lazar can be reached at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. / > > >> © Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
